Holonet
by Deja Know I Been Lookin For Vu
Summary: Luke is feeling depressed, and a little chatting on the Holonet manages to cheer him up...But soon evil begins to come near...Evil of a kind Luke had thought he would never see again. L/M. L/V.
1. Chapter One

**Title:**** Holonet****  
****Author: Deja Vu**  
**Summary: Luke is feeling depressed, and a little chatting on the Holonet manages to cheer him up...But soon evil begins to come near...Evil of a kind Luke had thought he would never see again. L/M. L/V.**  
**Rating: No language, a little violence, a little crude humor.**  
**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, but this story is mine.**  
**Characters: Majors: Luke, Mara, and Vader. Minors: Han, Leia, Chewie, and others.****Author's Note: This story is a lot like two separate stories—there's the amusing Holonet part and then the serious after-part. I should have made them into two separate stories, but, alas, I did not.****  
Author's Thanks: Thanks to Moy for betareading chapters 11-19, thanks to JA for help on chapter 16, and thanks for naming help from Kitt and JA on chapter 17.**

* * *

Luke stared out into the bright Coruscant night. Many species on the huge city-planet were nocturnal, and so, even though the sun was not out, the stars and lights from various tall buildings made it seem less like night and more like early morning. Or something.

He sighed, not feeling philosophical enough to complete his musing. Frustrated with the universe, he ran a hand through his hair.

His relationship with Mara Jade was more confusing than he had ever thought possible for a relationship to be.

They were best friends, of that he was sure...Yet, there was something _more_ there, he was certain.

What it was exactly, he didn't know.

He wasn't even sure what steps he should take. Should he try to push their relationship on to something that might eventually be similar to what Leia and Han shared? Or should he just be content with the somewhat unstable friendship that he had with Mara?

These questions had been preying on his mind for quite some time. One day, for about half a second, he had even thought of going to a psychiatrist, but he had dismissed the idea for various reasons. First off, he didn't want to tell a complete stranger his life story. Secondly, Leia might begin to worry about him...Even more so than she was already doing. Thirdly, he didn't _want_ to go to a psychiatrist, despite the good it could bring him. Fourthly, he _knew_ it would leak out somehow or another, and people would instantly pounce on the incident as something incredibly newsworthy. He could see the headlines now: _Luke Skywalker, Rebel Hero, Visits a Shrink. Is Our Favorite Jedi Mentally Unstable?_

No, that was definitely not an option he could take, even if he _wanted_ to.

He _could_ talk with Leia, Han, or even Chewie. But they were likely to be biased...

He needed to go somewhere where he could have an anonymous identity and simply talk to _someone_...

And what better way to do that than get on the Holonet?

He hadn't gone into any chatrooms for quite some time, but he remembered the basics that Han had taught him one day while Luke was visiting Coruscant. The kids had been at school, Chewie had been working on the _Falcon_ (he had been in a bad mood, so they had decided not to join him), and Leia had been in a meeting, so the day had been pretty much boring. After throwing various ideas around, Han had gotten it into his mind that they should go into a chatroom and...well, chat.

Lando had given Luke an expensive computer for his birthday (why? he wasn't sure), and Luke hadn't the heart to throw out the gift, despite the possibility that he wouldn't use it very much. He typically preferred using a library computer, as they generally had better search capabilities.

Now he was glad to have the computer, and he turned it on, connected to the system, and then created an account name on some strange website called Yeehaw.

Various strange ideas for a login name whizzed through his head, many of them very unoriginal, and finally he decided to use the name KraytDracheDeAmour. It was as good as any.

* * *

Logging **KraytDracheDeAmour** into the chat system.

You are in **Life Stinks. Wanna talk about it?** (Having problems? Want empathy? This is the place for you!)

**allstar1234: **no way!!jorgey was waay coolrre than cantaf!!

**allstar1234: **cooler

**BaNdMeMbEr**: Bith bands stink! gimme max and the gang anyday.

**banthabrat: **nope. sorry allstar. cantaf's _much _cuter than jorgey

**miniyoo8:** ur just mad that rebo didnt make it very high in the charts

**princessofperfection: **fly me to the moon, supermann...

**supermann: **which one??

**ClonesArePeopleTuu:** nuh uh flanny. luke skywalker was a mucad cooler clone than c'baoth!!

**ClonesArePeopleTuu: **much

**Flanuuth: **never! skywalkr never had the lightnin thing goin for him! now that stuffs cool!

**SithExtraordinaire: **Lightning is _definitely_ a plus!

**jediwannabee34: **forget the lightnin! i want to find out how big his saber really is...

**AmazingDude:** hey krayt a/s/l?

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **...

* * *

Luke stared at the screen. This wasn't a place to talk about _life's_ problems. More like problems that people "had" with celebrities...And it took a lot of effort to keep himself from turning bright red when he saw what **jediwannabee** said.

He was definitely switching rooms. He pulled up the list and clicked on **Psych Lounge**, despite a few inner urgings that told him to turn back and shut off the computer.

* * *

**KraytDracheDeAmour** has left the room.

You are in **Psych Lounge**. (Need some help in directing your life? This is the place for you!)

**zoogles324** left the room.

**Yoyoyoyo86750NYE-EeeIN: **Dump him, girl! He shouldn't be treating you like that!

**PrettyPitTin7890: **but i lvyu him

**PrettyPitTin7890: **lvve

**PrettyPitTin7890: **urgh cant type today. love

**SpiritsareREALQuothI: **where didst thou gettest aholdest of a computer, yoda?

**SpiritsareREALQuothI: **YOBA! I MEANT YOBA! DIDNT I SAY YOBA??

**lilgreenmanami: **still on that shakespsespespspspspspre kick are you. strangest behavest thou...ken. heheh. smirk

**lilgreenmanami: **now havin ME do it r u.

**SpiritsareREALQuothI: **FOR THE LAST TIME! ITS SHAKESPEARE! NOT A JUMBLED GROUP OF INCOHERENT LETTERS!!

**takeTHATstupidbobafett:** chill dude or ill take out u to!

**goodlookinwookiee69: **ur not the guy that killed fett! it was i! king of the britons!! he took my mommas pelt and i got it back!! its hangin on my wall right now!!

**fightrrpilot3333:** what a buncha sick luzers u guys r. and by the way, fett isnt dead.

**goodlookinwookiee69: **is too!! hmph/. i bet u arent even a fighter pilot. ur prob jsut some moisture farmer on some dum planet like tatooine. hmph. now kashyyyk is a COOL planet

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **is anyone in here acutually planning on talking about their life problems?

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **actually

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **sure krayt. pm me.

* * *

It took him a moment, but Luke finally figured out how to send a private message to **CluelessOnCoruscant**. He privately hoped that this one wasn't just some quack that wanted to argue until the nearest star blew up, like the rest seemed to want to do. Seeing Coruscant in the person's name, he'd wondered for a moment if he knew him or her, but then he dismissed it. Coruscant had a _lot_ of occupants, and the chances of him actually _knowing_ this person were not high.

Still...

He looked up **CluelessOnCoruscant**'s profile and was disappointed to find that the only information it contained was that she was female. Well, he personally didn't blame her. The only public information on _his_ profile was that he was male.

* * *

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** normally i'm not one to spill my heart out but i'm a bit desperate/

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** i know the feeling. lol.

* * *

For a moment, Luke Skywalker stared at the screen. Should he go through with it? It wasn't like she would know who he was or would ever even _talk_ to him again...

He finally convinced himself to go ahead. The worst thing that could happen was that she gave him bad advice. He didn't _have_ to take it...

* * *

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** well, theres this girl...

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **i shouldve known... ;)

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **rolls eyes

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** so whats the prob?

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **well. right now we're just friensd. but I feel more than her than just friendship.

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **have u tried talking to her?

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **I can't

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **why not

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **shes rather...umm...

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** spirited?

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **definitely

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **ah

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **i'm afraid that she'll r un away. shes had a hard past, and isn't even quite used to the idea of having a best friend yet.

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **so ur scared of gettin hurt?

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **yeah...ive had someone that i cared about run away from me before...and it was as if someone had ripped a jagged hole through my heart. I felt horrible for months...its pretty much healed now, but every now and then theres a sharp throbbing and...

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **anyway, i feel more for this new girl, lets just call her lois, then I ever did for uh, let's call her cay.

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **do u think she's the one?

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **yes. i do.

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **but ur scared she'll get away if ur try to pursue a...romantic relationship?

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **yes

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **tell me, are u the adventurous type?

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **heh

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **do you want the real answer or what i wish i was?

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **stares

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **fine fine.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** yes. i'm the adventurous type

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **do u often get yourself into dangerous situations.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** i was a member of the rebellion against the mpirer...I think thats a dangerous enough situation.

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **good. that makes things easier.

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **empire

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **geeze can u tell im not on the computer ofteN? stupid typos.

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **...eh??

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **if u'll risk ur life for your cause, why won't u risk it for love?

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **...

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **hello??

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** u still there?

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** yeah sorry

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **i just wish things were that easy

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** why aren't they

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **ive let one woman i loved slip thru my fingers...I don't want that to happen again

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **aha. so u admit that u love her!

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** okay. so i do. but what good does that do me?? she still hates me.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** how can your best friend hate you?

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** i dunno, but she she manages it.

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **i think ur assuming too much.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** i dont think i'm just assuming...she wanted to kill me once.

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **boy u sure do know how to choose em dont ya?

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** ...

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **surely ur best friend wouldnt shun u to the side if u just asked her out on a date, i mean its not like you'd be askin her to marry u...have u tried that?

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** no...but then u dont know "lois"

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** smirk i'd liek to. she sounds like quite a character

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **like and character

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **she is. believe me.

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **maybe shes scared of being hurt too...maybe she feels somethin for u but hides it behind a mask b/c she thinks u dont feel the same way about her...

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **b/c?

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **because

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **oh. duh.

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **you have to consider her feelings too.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** i know...i KNOW that shes scared...and that she'll probably run away

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** maybe shes waitin for u to make the first move

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** i doubt that.

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **but u can't know unless u take a chance.

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **but what if it messes everything up?

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **there is such a thing as second chances

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** not w/her

**CluelessOnCoruscant:**** yo**u never know

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **what about u? r u married or anything?

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **changing the subject i see... no. i'm not married

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** is there someone ur interested in

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **?

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **...yes

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** r u dating him?...i'm assuming its a him?

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** no, i'm not dating HIM.

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **why not? have u tried?

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** no we haven't really been out on what i would call a date

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** are u scared too?

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **i think u know what the answer to that question is.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** ah.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** tell you what. i'll give her a chance if u'll give him a chance

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **...

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** that is, unless ur a scaredy-bantha

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** i am NOT scared!!

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** uh huh.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** well i'm not.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** riiiiiiiiiiight.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** fine. tomorrow night, same place same time. u'd better tell her how you feel, ask her out, or something. DONT chicken out and dont give me a FAKE story.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** i wont. you'd better not either

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **not a chance.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** al lright...

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **are u as nervous as i am?

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** are you kiddin? i'm even more nervous right now than i have EVER been!!

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **lol. well i'm going now. good luk to u! bye!!

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** u 2! bye!

* * *

Luke disconnected from the system and turned his computer off. He couldn't _believe_ that he had just let a complete stranger talk him into revealing his feelings to Mara Jade.

Mara Jade, the cause of many a male's broken heart...Lando being among that number. At least, he _hoped_ that Lando was among that number.

But it wasn't because he wanted the con artist _hurt, _he quickly told himself, it was just because he didn't want the man to involved with the girl he had his eyes on.

Luke winced. That thought hadn't come out the way he meant it to. He sighed. Was he _really_ going to go through with this?

He didn't _have_ to.

And yet...

He was tired prancing around his feelings. It was time to face them...

_And_ to face her.

Mind made up, he stood up decisively and strode out, grabbing his lightsaber on impulse. He might need a weapon for self-defense, he told himself wryly.

But he was in such a rush that he didn't see the person in front of him until the two of them had collided. Whoever it was obviously hadn't expected anyone to be in their path either, as they fell backwards onto the ground.

He started to apologize and offer his hand when a string of curses from the floored woman made him pause.

"Mara?"

Her head snapped up instantly when he uttered her name. "Luke? What are you doing here?"

The Jedi gestured a few doors down. "I live there. Well, whenever I'm on Coruscant, that is."

"Oh. Right." Mara swiftly got to her feet, about to chew him out for plowing her down. She mentally reprimanded herself for not watching where _she_ was going either. It wasn't like her...But, somehow, she managed to calm herself. "I mean, what are you doing out here?"

A hundred excuses ran through Luke's mind, but he quickly shunned them to the side. Now was the time to act...before he lost his nerve.

"I was coming to talk to you," Luke said quietly. Then, before she could reply, "Why are _you_ here?"

"The same."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "You came here to talk to yourself?"

"No, I mean—" Mara was flustered, but Luke, smiling, cut her off.

"I know, I know...What did you want to talk to me about?"

"You first," the ex-Emperor's Hand told him quickly.

Skywalker studied her for a minute. He could leave now, make up some excuse, and go straight to bed. It wouldn't be that hard.

But even as he offered that to himself as a possibility, he knew that he couldn't do it. It was now or never.

Of course, now he had to decide _what_ to tell her and how.

His nerve was slowly faltering, and he no longer thought that he would actually be able to say _anything_ about his feelings for her...

And so, he made it easy for himself. Kind of.

"Mara Jade, would you like to go out tomorrow night with me for dinner?"

Whatever it was that she was expecting, it certainly wasn't that. "Huh?"

He repeated himself, and she blinked at him. "Dinner?" she echoed. "As in, a date?"

"No, dinner as in I go throw you into a tank full of carnivorous fish so that _they_ can eat. Of course I mean a date." Luke was trying to use sarcasm in order to hide his unease.

"Where?"

That was something Luke hadn't thought out yet, having not really expected the situation to progress this far. But again, there was a simple solution. "It's a surprise."

"Oh." She'd never thought the farmboy to be the romantic type...But he was probably trying to hide any awkwardness he felt. "What do I wear?"

"Something comfortable," was his reply.

Mara narrowed her eyes, "Uh huh."

"You could wear something uncomfortable if you want. Won't bother me," Luke smirked.

"You think you're so smart, don't you, farmboy?"

His only response was a wide grin.

Mara Jade sighed in mock-resignation. "_Fine_. I'll go out on a _date_ with you. But I must warn you, I'm not the most sociable dinner companion."

"Who says we're going to be socializing?" Luke barely managed to avoid the arm that Mara swung at him.

* * *

**Author's Note:**** _Drache_ is German for _Dragon_, and _De Amour_ is French for _Of Love_ (though technically it should be _D'Amour_).**


	2. Chapter Two

Grinning like a fool, Luke plopped happily down onto his computer chair. It was only 1000 hours, so he still had quite a long wait before his date with Mara Jade, but he was still happy with the results of the night before.

He had gotten up even earlier than normal (which was saying something) and eaten breakfast after going through his normal routine. Afterwards, he had stretched, practiced with his lightsaber using a training remote, and done various exercises.

Luke was supposed to go over to his sister's apartment for lunch, but he had two hours to kill before he did so.

He didn't feel like doing another extensive check of Jedi records to see if he had missed something, which was a mostly new feeling for him. He hardly _ever_ felt like he _wasn't_ up to reading about the Jedi Knights of old...No, instead he felt like...checking out the Holonet and incidentally going into the chatroom where he'd talked to **CluelessOnCoruscant**, to see if she was there...And, if she was there, he wanted to know whether she'd had as much success as he'd had.

They hadn't been very specific when they'd scheduled a meeting time, and he hoped that he would be able to find her online somehow.

Quickly, he started up his computer and connected to the Holonet. He went to the weirdly named site and then clicked on the chatroom he had been in the night before.

* * *

You are in **Psych Lounge**. (Need some help in directing your life? This is the place for you!)

**zippitydodobrain:** so what if their exitninct? there still kooL!

**hpmuirtLLIWsetats05ehT:** now i'm a believer!!

**VenomS:** not as awesome as tairalan snakes. man thoise thigns are great!!

**zippitydodobrain:** extinct

**sraWratS:** theres not a trace...of doubt in my mind!!

**SpiritsareREALQuothI:** yoba yoba yoba. strangest art thou if thou doest thinkst big-eared green miniature men are ALWAYS good withst the ladies!

**AbracadabraPOOF99:** makin a wampa com out of a hat would not b th easy, remshot

**lilgreenmanami:** but benny, bookie of mine...size matters not!!

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **clueless?

**lilgreenmanami:** KENNY SAID I!!

**ImPeRiAlSrOcKbUtT:** what'd u call me/??/??

**AlderaanLivesOn** entered the room.

**SpiritsareREALQuothI:** idiot art thou yoba

**lilgreenmanami:** ...

**AlderaanLivesOn:** look its princess leia (--)

**lilgreenmanami: **keno!

**lilgreenmanami:** thats not very nice

**SpiritsareREALQuothI:** so?

**doughboy23:** any1 wanna chat w/a 30/Bothan

**CHIHCHANGYA** entered the room.

**CHIHCHANGYA:** wanna see some cool pictures of me and my friends? gwn.lair.web/pictures/hhhyyydddddd111/xxxxxx

**CHIHCHANGYA:** wanna see some cool pictures of me and my friends? gwn.lair.web/pictures/hhhyyydddddd111/xxxxxx

**CHIHCHANGYA:** wanna see some cool pictures of me and my friends? gwn.lair.web/pictures/hhhyyydddddd111/xxxxxx

**CHIHCHANGYA:** wanna see some cool pictures of me and my friends? gwn.lair.web/pictures/hhhyyydddddd111/xxxxxx

**hpmuirtLLIWsetats05ehT:** STOP SPAMMINGGGGGGGG!!

**CHIHCHANGYA:** wanna see some cool pictures of me and my friends? gwn.lair.web/pictures/hhhyyydddddd111/xxxxxx

**CHIHCHANGYA:** wanna see some cool pictures of me and my friends? gwn.lair.web/pictures/hhhyyydddddd111/xxxxxx

**CHIHCHANGYA** was kicked out of the room.

**ubetterbleaveit911:** hehheheheheh

* * *

Right before Luke was about to switch rooms, a private message caught his eye.

* * *

**  
****CluelessOnCoruscant:** hey sory bout that. i was snackin o na ration bar and noticed ur msg

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** o no. dont tell me UR a raiton bar fanatic too!

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** ration

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** theres nuttin wro ng w/ration barts!!

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** hehehe, barts?

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** BARS!!

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** lol.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** sure theres nuttin wrong w/em as long as u dont mind dyin from malnutrition

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** i eat other stuff!!

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **...right.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** i DO!!

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** i believe u.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** no u don't

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** lol. ok. so i dont.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** glare

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** ducks

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** lol are u used to havin to duck?

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** yep. i have to do it all the time when "lois" is around

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** smart girl

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** hey now

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** :D

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** what does lol mean again?

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** laugh out loud.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** ok gotcha.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** on what part of Coruscant do u live?

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** why? r u plannin on stalkin g me/?

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** and if i answered yes...? ;)

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** i think u wud make an interestin stalker

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** hehehe dont u know it

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** i'd have to leave my windows open so u wouldnt bust open ur head tryin to come thru

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** ...thats cruel

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** your point being...?

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** :Þ

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** ...

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** so...?

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** fine. if u want to know THAT bad. i live

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** near the Imperial Palace.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** really? me too!

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** u live on coruscant?

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** yep!

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** oh shoot hold on, i gotta check the comm unit. b back n a sec

* * *

Luke stood up and walked over to the flashing communications console. His sister's angelic face greeted him. "Hello, Luke."

"Hi, Leia," the Jedi returned. "Something up?"

"Our meeting with the representatives from the Tidnabd'd'd'd system has been pushed up a few hours, so we're going to have to have lunch early. We still want you to join us, though."

"Are you eating right now?"

"We're ready to start whenever you get here."

"Okay, I'm on my way."

Luke turned off the console and turned to his computer.

* * *

**  
****KraytDracheDeAmour:** i haveta go eat w/my sister now and my date w/lois (yes! i asked her out!!) is tonight, and I'm not sure how long it will last...so how about we get on about midnight tonight? i might b on later or earlier though, depending on how things goa.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** okay!! i have a date 2nite too w/my guy! :D ...i'm not sure how long it'll last either. ok. midnite 2nite, same room. lol we're a lucky pair of womprats! laters!

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** we sure are!! bye!

* * *

Luke shut down his computer quickly and headed over to the Solo's. He rang the doorchime, and Leia greeted him and quickly ushered him inside. When they went into the dining room, he noticed that Han was poking Chewie in the chest...and neither of them seemed too happy.

"Did you even _think_ of asking me if I approved?" Han growled.

Luke looked at Leia. She rolled her eyes, mouthed, _The Falcon_, and went over and grabbed her husband's arm. She guided Han, who was still complaining, over to his seat at the table.

Chewie roared something indignantly and sat at the table as far away from Han as he could get.

"The children are with Winter right now," Leia said, giving a false smile as she elbowed her husband.

Luke nodded. Food was passed around, and, after everyone was settled, Leia started in, although it seemed innocent at first. "I'm glad you decided to take a break from teaching. Even Jedi Masters need some time away."

"I know," Luke replied after thoroughly chewing and swallowing a mouthful of food.

"You only have a few days left. Do you have anything special planned?"

Luke shrugged, "No, not really." Inwardly, his alarms went off. Leia knew more than she was letting on.

"Really? No special outings? No target practicing with Wedge? No...hot dates?" Leia's face showed a mild curiousness, but Luke knew his sister well enough to know that somehow she'd found out.

But how?

The last thing that Mara would have done was tell the Chief of State, much less anyone else. It wasn't likely that Leia would pry into Luke's mind with the Force (even if he _had_ been exuding quite an unusual amount of cheer)...And she wouldn't have been adamant about checking the footage from the cameras near his apartment _or_ asking people about them. Another factor to consider was that Leia herself wasn't the type to eavesdrop or directly ask people to eavesdrop on her brother for her, even if she _was_ rather inquisitive.

Han was trying unsuccessfully to hide a growing grin.

So that left...

"_You_," Luke bit out.

"Huh?" a look of confusion passed across the smuggler's face.

"You..." the Jedi was at loss with what to say that wouldn't offend all at the table, and finally he spat, "—_snoop_!"

"What're you talking about, kid?" Although he tried to hide it, the look on Han's face clearly showed that he knew _exactly_ what Luke was talking about.

Luke gave him a forced calm look and finally Han broke down. "Okay, okay, okay. Fine. I admit it. I overheard you and Mara Jade talking about a date that you were going to have tonight. I was at the wrong place at the wrong time." _Or was it the right place at the right time?_ Han asked himself humorously.

"You just _happened_ to overhear it?" Luke glared at him.

Chewie snorted, and Leia tried to soothe them, "Stop behaving like children."

"I'm not the one eavesdropping on other people's conversations," Luke grumbled.

Leia rolled her eyes. "Just forget about it. He's Corellian, and thus he should be forgiven for his lack of manners."

"Hey!" Han objected.

"You're not allowed to talk," Leia stated as she pointed a commanding finger at her husband.

"But—"

"Uh uh." The Alderaanian turned to her brother. "So, what made you finally break down?"

"What do you mean break down?" Luke's eyes slitted suspiciously.

"What, you think it's a secret that you've been mooning over her?" Han grinned.

"I have _not_ been mooning over her..." Very softly under his breath, Luke added, "At least, not _exactly_."

"Uh huh," Han smirked.

"New subject, please?" Luke pleaded, blushing.

Chewie laughed quietly. _You are a funny one, cub._

Luke slumped into his chair. "Why does everyone always pick on _me_?"

"Because we love you." Leia smiled. "I expect you to give us details on your date tomorrow morning. But right now, I want you to tell me what compelled you to ask her out so suddenly."

Luke straightened, crossed his arms, gave her a long look, and then leaned back. "I'm not saying anything."

* * *

**  
****Author's Note:**** The gwn in the spam message ****stands for galaxy wide network.**


	3. Chapter Three

After finishing lunch with his sister, brother-in-law, and Chewbacca, Luke was cornered by Leia, who had a predatory gleam in her eye.

"What are you planning on wearing? Not black, I hope."

"What's wrong with black?" Luke's voice elevated a notch defensively.

"Nothing...if you're going to a funeral." Leia paused. "Where are you eating?"

"Somewhere casual."

"Which means no suit, which in turn means you don't _have_ to wear black." Leia hooked her arm around her twin's. "Brother dearest, we're going shopping."

And the Jedi was dragged away before he could utter a word of protest.

* * *

The Chief of State had finally managed to decide which pair of khaki pants she was making him get, and she was now having him try on what felt like the ten billionth sweater. But to be fair, he actually liked this one: the muted sandy colors reminded him of Tatooine. They swirled together in a very intricate manner and looked rather nice on him.

Luke came out of the dressing room and stood in front of his sister, arms crossed. He gave her a look that was a mixture of annoyance and impatience. "How about this one?"

The former Alderaanian Princess ran a critical eye over the sweater, checked it from different angles, and then nodded. "That'll do."

"I feel like a pet pittin being dressed up by a six-year old girl," Luke grumbled.

"Are you insulting my intelligence?" Leia honed in on his statement.

"Are you picking out my dinner apparel?"

For a moment, the two siblings merely gazed challengingly into each other's eyes, and Leia finally shot at him, "Well, at least this 'six-year old girl' has better fashion taste than _you_ do."

"Yeah, well..." Luke trailed off, and Leia looked on expectantly. Grasping for anything to say, he snorted, "At least I don't try to live your life for you."

That didn't sit too well, and the Chief of State squirmed under her brother's gaze, which was quickly becoming regretful as he realized what he had said. "I'm sorry, Leia. I didn't mean—"

"No. You're right. I shouldn't try to push you around...I'm becoming as bad as my aunts were."

"_No_," Luke insisted forcefully. "You've been trying to help me, and all I have done is push everyone away. _I'm_ the one that needs to change. Instead of being a big rock slowing the stream of life, I should try to be _part_ of it."

Smiling gently, Leia walked over to her brother and hugged him. He was finally starting to see reality.

* * *

Anxiously, Luke waited outside Mara's apartment door. He shifted a few times and glanced down at the bundle of flowers in his hand, almost as if to reassure himself that they were still there. They were a rare type and not exactly cheap. The flower's proper name was Saldenia, but most called it "The Flower of Flames," and with good reason. It was primarily red, but in the middle it seemed to glow with a strange, yellow-orange fire that was constantly changing. It was a phenomenon that had baffled scientists for centuries.

A muffled "Coming!" reached his ears, and he waited semi-patiently for her to come to the door. When she did, it was hard to keep his mouth from gaping open in astonishment.

It was only on very rare occasions—generally, diplomatic functions—that Luke had seen Mara Jade in anything other than a jumpsuit. And what she was wearing now was far from even remotely _resembling_ a jumpsuit.

Mara had on a black turtleneck sweater, which made her seem even leaner than normal while accenting her feminine curves. She had on a floorlength green skirt that went remarkably well with her eyes, and she had on pilgrim pumps of the same color that brought her up to almost his height. She was wearing silver earrings with vibrant emeralds in the center and a matching necklace and bracelet as well.

For a pregnant moment, there was nothing but silence, as each was merely staring at the other in disbelief. It was the ex-Emperor's Hand who spoke first. "You didn't wear black."

"You didn't wear a jumpsuit."

For a moment, Mara just glared at Luke; then she broke into a smile and replied quietly, "I don't _always_ wear jumpsuits."

"I don't always wear black," Luke returned. Mara stared at him. She clearly felt that she could argue that point all night and then some. "Well, I _don't_," he muttered. She raised an eyebrow. Trying to take attention away from himself and express something he had wanted to say since she answered the door, he took her appearance in once more and gave a wide smile. "You look...nice."

"I spend all night getting ready and I only look _nice_?" Mara looked mock-hurt.

Luke was flustered, unsure what to say, and Mara elbowed him. "It's called sarcasm, farmboy. You should try it sometime."

"Are you implying that I'm not a fun guy?"

"Are you jumping to conclusions?" Mara shot back.

"Are you picking on a delusional farmboy?"

"Are you arguing with the former Emperor's Hand?:

"Are you..." Luke trailed off.

"Yes?" Mara gazed at him questioningly.

"Are you ready to go?"

She smirked at him, glad that she had won the battle. "Are Jedi Masters boring?"

"Hey!"

"Just kidding, Skywalker. Just kidding."

* * *

Soon, they were seated in the dimly lit restaurant, bantering about whether or not they had done well in choosing their current careers. "Mara, you can do so much more with your life than smuggle contraband for spice-heads."

"Oh, and like teaching snot-nosed brats is so much better."

"Are you calling yourself a snot-nosed brat?" Luke grinned.

"I fail to see where you have taught me anything yet, farmboy."

"Well, if you would come down to the Academy once in a while..."

"_Well_, if you hadn't ignored me every time I came..."

"I don't ignore you..." Luke glanced down at the table, and then he looked up. Suddenly, he wasn't so sure. "Do I?"

"Maybe not the _whole_ time." Mara smirked, trying to lighten the conversation.

But Luke was serious. "I do, don't I?" He shook his head minutely, frustrated with himself. "All this time, I have been putting off your not coming to the Academy as either your being uninterested or your just not wanting to make a commitment. But in actuality it has been because there's no point in coming if you are just going to be ignored..." He sighed, "How could I have been so _stupid_?"

"Not stupid, Skywalker. Just...busy."

"Too busy to spend time with the woman that I continuously pestered to come to the Academy? I think not."

"It's all right. Don't worry about it."

"But—"

"Uh uh," Mara quieted him, pressing a finger against his lips.

Luke glanced down at her finger and started to say something, but he was again shushed. His lips were suddenly dry, and he felt an insane urge to moisten them, but he wasn't quite sure the situation would allow it. So, instead, he looked up at Mara, and her eyes caught his. He was unable to pry his gaze away despite his best efforts, so he merely stared into the deep green pools of her eyes.

Noticing that her finger was still in place, the ex-Emperor's Hand slowly retreated her hand, but it stopped a few inches from his face. She lightly touched his face, and then she inwardly reprimanded herself and brought her hand down.

But Luke wasn't ready for them to lose bodily contact yet, and he brought his hand up to cup her face. She covered his hand with hers, and he was startled by the chill of her fingers. Unable to resist temptation, even though thousands of reasons he should stop were being shouted at him by his mind, his heart urged him to bring their lips together.

A sudden jolt of passion sparked through them both as their lips met, and, despite their being in a public place, they intensified the kiss. The Force, as well as that other special energy field that is activated when a man and a woman have physical contact, enveloped the both of them, bringing an amazing feeling of bliss down upon them.

When they finally had to break for air, the two sat back in their seats and stared at each other. Luke was the first to venture to speak. "It certainly took long enough for us to do _that_."

Mara laughed. "Well, if you weren't such a stubborn _farmboy_..."

"_I'm_ not stubborn! It's _you_ who's stubborn!"

"Who's the one that _insisted_ on barging into a prison cell of one of the most powerful battlestations of all time to rescue a princess?"

"Yeah, well, who is the one that won't let anyone else fly a certain _Jade's Fire_?"

"What does _that_ have to do with stubborness!?" Mara was indignant.

"You're stubbornly set."

Mara got a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "Any more kisses like _that_ one, and you can fly my ship anytime you _want_!"

Luke turned redder than a blushing tomato.


	4. Chapter Four

"I ordered deem'on'an'gelz, _not_ deem'on'an'dmees!" Mara forcefully told the waiter as she looked down at the plate that was set before her.

"No, Madame. I clearly 'eard you zay _deem'on'an'dmees,_" the waiter insisted. Evidently, the horned Devoranian was as stubborn as the fiery trader.

"Well, maybe if you wouldn't be concentrating so hard on faking that stupid accent and didn't have your head so far up your—"

"Mara!" an embarrassed Luke reprimanded her. He had been silently wanting to bury himself in a hole throughout the entire spat, but enough was enough.

"But I want my deem'on'an'gelz, and I want it now!" Mara banged her fist on the table. The non-human was really getting on her nerves.

"Mara, you can have my food," Luke almost pleaded with her.

Mara Jade opened her mouth to argue some more, but Luke's pathetically begging eyes persuaded her do otherwise. "Fine, I'll eat it." Looking satisfied with himself, the Devaronian left, strutting off triumphantly. "I won't like it, but I'll eat it." After watching the waiter leave, she muttered under her breath, "But there will be _no_ tip!"

Luke was unable to stop his grin from stretching from ear to ear. "You are something, Ms. Jade."

"_Ms._ Jade? Whatever happened to 'Mara'?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"She ran after the Devaronian and bashed his head in with the butt of her blaster rifle, after thoroughly delimbing him with her vibroblade, which of course was done after she bloodied up his nose and poked out his eyes," Luke replied, chuckling.

"Nope, you have Mara all wrong. She would have skipped the whole poking out the eyes bit, because she would want him to _see_ what was happening to him!" Mara returned.

"I'll remember that the next time I make you angry," Luke said with a grin.

"Yeah, you'll be _begging_ me to gouge your eyes out," Mara laughed.

Luke chuckled, and then, after a period of silence in which Mara glared at her food as she stuffed it viciously into her mouth, he spoke. "This is nice. We should do it again sometime."

"Are you asking me out again, farmboy?"

Would you say yes?" Luke stared into Mara's eyes questioningly.

"Would you want me to?" Mara countered.

"Would you want me to want you to?"

"Would you want me to want you to want—" Mara broke off. "Urgh, forget it."

Silence.

"Well?" Luke looked hopeful.

"Do I have to dress up?"

"Has Han always been truthful?" Luke grinned. "We'll go to a pisania parlor."

"Sounds like fun to me." Mara dug into her food once again, but this time a little more joyfully.

* * *

"Thanks, Luke. That was fun," Mara told him as they approached her apartment door.

"No problem." Luke shrugged his shoulders lightly. "It was the best night I've had in years."

"Only in years?"

"Ever," Luke corrected.

"That's better," Mara grinned back at him.

Luke brushed a conveniently-placed (for him) hair out of Mara's face, cupping her cheek. Mara inched closer to him, though she was a little hesitant. He brought his arms around her back and his head down to hers, and they shared their second kiss of the night, this one even more wonderful then the last.

With this one, they both knew where they stood in each other's eyes, and both wanted to move their relationship forward as quickly as possible since they had already wasted years of valuable time.

* * *

In unison, they both pulled back for breath, and with a final smile in Luke's direction, Mara disappeared into her room. With a sigh of happiness, Luke slowly walked away, feeling like he was floating in mid-air.

* * *

When Luke arrived home, the first thought in his head was _computer!_ He quickly got on the Holonet and logged into _the_ chatroom. It wasn't midnight yet, but if he was lucky a certain someone would be online.

Before long, Luke gave an inward jump of joy. **CluelessOnCoruscant**'s name was in the room list for the **Psych Lounge**. By some stroke of luck, she was online quite a while before she was scheduled to have been. He began typing a private message to her.

* * *

**  
****KraytDracheDeAmour:** heya

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **sup?

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** just got back from my date w/u-know-who!!

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** awesom!! i just got back not 2 long ago as well. hey brb

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** ok.

* * *

While Luke was waiting for **CluelessOnCoruscant** to return, he watched the strange messages that the chatroom contained pile up.

* * *

**  
****SpiritsareREALQuothI:** thinkst thou thatith they knoweth, yoba?

**andthenalongcamewho:** hey jumpin, pm me

**s****ithlordofthebedroomchamber:** a/sy or n?, nunny?

**Nunny: **Get a room!!

**lilgreenmanami:** i know not kenny. help them should we?

**WalkerAmidstDarkDreams: **but i didnt MEAN to shoot him...it j ust kinda hpanned...

**SpiritsareREALQuothI: **they may getteth someth comforteth outeth ofeth talkineth tooeth eacheth othereth incognitoth. p'rhaps.

**WalkerAmidstDarkDreams:** happened

**jinxie8675:** i know how you feel. i accidentally dropped somethin on my pet pittin once, squashin the poor things guts out'...i was in shock for dayhs!!

**sithlordofthebedroomchamber:** a/sy or n?, sassy?

**sithlordofthebedroomchamber** was kicked out of the room.

**Sassy1Sassy2Sassy3:** serves you right. jerk.

**Nunny: **tx sass.

**Sassy1Sassy2Sassy3:** dont mention it.

**LIFESTINX** entered the room.

**LIFESTINX:** LIFE STINX!! U ALL SHUD DI E HORIBLE PAINFUL DeATHS!!

**PurrOnUhBeatUll:** kiss my butt, fartface!!

* * *

An instant message from **CluelessOnCoruscant** popped up, so Luke gladly ignored the rest of the chatroom.

* * *

**  
****CluelessOnCoruscant:** sorry. i got cold and put a robe on.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** no prb

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** i still think its funny that we both live on coruscant near the imperial palace

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** yep.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** so r u against the whole sharing names thing on a chatroom??

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** i dont see why i should be. if people r gonna come after me they will.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** yeah but it kinda spoils the whole being-anonymous thing

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** true

* * *

But just as Luke was finally about to type his name in, his power went out.


	5. Chapter Five

_Why now?_ Luke mentally asked himself. He went over to his datacard-cluttered table and grabbed his comlink. After pressing a few buttons, static blared out at him.

_I'm_ _being _jammed_?!_ Luke groaned mentally. Great. Just great. Hopefully, it wasn't just him—if it _were_ just him, then he probably had a whole lot of trouble on his hands. He grabbed his lightsaber and slapped the door button, only to find that the door refused to open.

"What in space—?" Luke cut off when he felt the familiar black hole in the Force that an ysalamir brought. His gut tightened as he realized that there must be multiple ysalamiri, as the bubble completely covered him. He couldn't contact Leia or Mara via the Force, his power was gone, and he couldn't use his comlink. _Could this get much worse?_ he wondered before belatedly wishing the thought hadn't come to him, as the situation would surely worsen now.

Swallowing in nervous anticipation, he scrounged beneath his couch's cushions for the blaster that he just hadn't been able to get rid of, even if possession of a blaster was not very Jedi-like.

Backing away from the door, Luke crouched behind the couch for protection, his lightsaber off but easily accessible. He had a feeling that the door was about to—

_Bvvvvooooooooom!_ A detonator made short work of the door, and soon a figure strode through. A weapon-wielding figure that was not playing games.


	6. Chapter Six

When a person comes in and starts shooting, the first impulse one has is usually not to stand there and ask stupid questions.

And so Luke said not a word as he ducked behind his furniture and started shooting random blasts at the individual, who had an ysalamir nutrient cage on his back...A few moments later, another ysalamir-bearing humanoid with a weapon came in.

Taking a quick peek over the couch, only to duck back into hiding when a bolt nearly singed his head, Luke managed to see that out in the hall were even _more_ humanoids, and they appeared to be shooting at what was probably Security.

* * *

Mara had gotten up to grab a ration bar from the kitchen when it felt like a portion of her brain had abruptly shut off...

Confused, she tried levitating the ration bar, and she found no problem in doing so. But when she tried reaching out through the Force to where her best friend was...she could feel nothing.

She was about to panic when she realized that she couldn't feel anyone around him either. Almost as if...

"Ysalamiri," she sighed out loud. She grabbed a vibroblade, Luke's old lightsaber, and her blaster of choice, and then she went tearing out of her apartment.

* * *

The men were coming closer to Luke, and he looked around for cover. He then began crawling towards his bedroom quickly, hiding behind various pieces of furniture. But evidently one of his attackers wasn't using stun bolts, for a very painful and very real laser blast hit his shin, causing him to wince in pain. He didn't slow down, however, and he rushed into his bedroom through the kitchenette, locking the door, though he knew it wouldn't hold for long. Dimly, he heard one of the humanoids shout angrily at the other in a reprimanding tone. _Probably for blasting my leg,_ Luke thought angrily.

Trying to ignore the throbbing of his leg, Luke rushed to his window and tried to open it. But the window was firmly welded shut, and so, lightsaber held out in his hand, he started slicing.

The cut was slow, however, and he could hear the door beginning to strain close to the breaking point. When he knew that he wouldn't be able to get out in time, he dove under the bed, turned his lightsaber off, and waited.

Sure enough, the door didn't last much longer, and the assailants, who had shed their ysalamir cargo (although Luke was still in the Forceless bubble), had entered with weapons drawn. They didn't spy Luke directly since he was in hiding under the bed, and just when Luke was about to jump out and slice them apart, the two slumped to the ground with smoking holes in their backs...and a very smug-looking Mara standing behind them.

Turning around, the robe-clad Mara shot the two ysalamiri, and the Force returned to Luke. "You all right?" she asked, sounding concerned.

Luke nodded. "Thanks to you."

"Well, you can just add it to your tab. You owe me quite a few," Mara smirked.

"How did you get past the guys in the hall?"

"Security had already taken care of most of them by the time I got here."

"Ah," Luke started to get to his feet, but he was back on the ground when his foot refused to hold his weight.

"You're hurt," Mara slitted her green eyes at him, almost accusingly.

"It's just a scratch—"

Mara glanced at his rather nasty-looking leg wound, and then she brought her eyes to his face. "Obviously."

A Security member jogged into the room. "Is everything all right? We've already taken the survivors into custody..."

"He needs to go to the medbay," Mara pointed out.

Luke threw her a glare. "I'm _fine_."

The man glanced down at the Skywalker's leg, wincing in sympathy. "I think she's right," he stated simply.

Another NRS member entered the room and surveyed the two dead bodies on the floor. Eyes still on them, she asked, "Any idea why you were attacked, Master Skywalker?"

Luke shook his head. "I haven't got a clue."

"I'll escort you to the medcenter," the man stated, and he did so, despite Luke's continuous protests. Mara smugly followed the two.

* * *

"That 21-B has some major wires twisted," Luke grumbled as he and Mara left the medcenter. "A week was _way_ too long to stay in the hospital for a leg that was completely healed by the Force and bacta on the _second_ day."

Mara rolled her eyes at him. "Maybe the droid thought you needed a little rest and relaxation time."

"All I did was eat, sleep, talk, and watch outdated holovids about some primitive civilizations that don't even realize that there are other inhabited planets in either their solar system _or_ their galaxy!...And what's worse, they have doors with handles on them that don't open automatically!" Luke's voice elevated a few notches.

Mara put her hand on his arm. "I think you've watched one too many holos."

Soon enough, they reached his apartment, and Mara looked at Luke sternly. "Now, I want you to go inside, rest, and not get into too much trouble."

He glared at her. "It's not me that gets into trouble...It's the trouble that gets into me!" Then he got a confused look on his face, as his statement didn't really quite work out as well as it had in his head.

Mara gave him a strange look. "Now I _know_ you've watched way too many holovids!"

She pushed him inside, gave him a few more instructions, and then left him alone. She had a few things to do.

* * *

Ignoring all of Mara's instructions, Luke immediately went to his computer. The blasted thing was addictive.

After booting it up, he settled down in his chair, contented.

But after connecting to the **Psych Lounge**, Luke noticed that **CluelessOnCoruscant** was absent. He decided that he would chat with other people in hopes that she would soon appear. Before he started, he glanced at all the names and was somewhat surprised and somewhat unsurprised that he recognized and knew two of the names very well: l**ilgreenmanami **and **SpiritsareREALQuothI**. _They must not have very interesting lives, _he thought. _Not that my life is that much more exciting..._

* * *

**lilgreenmanami:** borin ur life would b 2 if in hiding u had 2 remain

**lOvErOfThEuNoRtHoDox:** so what is the mamooshka?

**SpiritsareREALQuothI: **YOBA! Dost thou NOT understandeth that thou must watch thou fat little fingers and thou eavesdroppingith mind?

**mam00shka: **havent u evr seen the faddams family?

**lOvErOfThEuNoRtHoDox:** ooo yeaaaaahhhhh

**lilgreenmanami: **realize it he did not

**4EverAndADay:** i love you traatn

**SpiritsareREALQuothI:** that shant b true for eternity

**incrediblyhotstuff2330:** i luv u 2 honey

**SighKo:** germs...they're all over our bodies

**4EverAndADay:** can we elope tomorrow?

**ZeldaARudeAwakening:** shuddup pyscho, thats nasty

**incrediblyhotstuff2330:** uh, let me go ask my parents...

**SighKo:** we can never rid our body of all of those crawl;ing creatures...eatin our flesh...not a care in the world..

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** wuz up every1?

**PINKYISINSANEnotthebrain:** the ceilings above my hed but otehr than th nuttinz up

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **...

**lilgreenmanami: **hey krayt. choose would you what: invisible or fly?

**SighKo:** they just crawl and eat...and eat and crawl...theyre in ur shorts...in ur bed...and even in ur food...

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** fly definitely.

**lilgreenmanami:** HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH!! TOLD YOU I DID KENNY!!

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **...?!

**SpiritsareREALQuothI:** thou shouldst close thee mouth

**call8me8love88buddy8love:** any ladies wanna chat w/a hottie? pm me. hu,manoids preferd

**lilgreenmanami:** give me empty threats you should not

**call8me8love88buddy8love:** who u callin empty?

**Pulpatine1248:** SHUT UP ALL OF YOU OR I SHALL BEAT YOU TO A BLOODY PULP

**Gary50** entered the room.

**Gary50:** la meow?

**Pulpatine1248: **launches at garys throat and grabs hold w/teeth

**Gary50:** LA SHRIEK!

**Gary50** left the room.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** ...um has ne1 takled to cluelessoncoruscant?

**Pulpatine1248: **gets out lightsaber and prepares to slice krayts throaat

**lilgreenmanami:** busy she is

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** really?? do u know how i can get ahold of her

**lilgreenmanami:** since this i do

**SpiritsareREALQuothI:** the correct spelling beith "sense" dimwit

**SighKo:** all over u...and they crawl all over u..over every part of u...all of those microscopic bacteria...making a meal of ur body...

**lilgreenmanami: **DIMWIT I AM NOT, GRAYBEARD!! :( unhappy am I!!

**SpiritsareREALQuothI:** well thou art not exactly gray hair free theeself DIMWIT!!

**incrediblyhotstuff2330:** mom said im not rdeay for that kinda commitment

**lilgreenmanami:** AT LEAST BEARD I HAVE NOT!!

**SpiritsareREALQuothI:** thou wouldst never make it as an engish teacher

**4EverAndADay:** SOB I CANT LIVE LIKE THIS!! I AM GOING TO HATE YOU 4EVERANDADAY!! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN TRAATN!!

**4EverAndADay** has left the room.

**lilgreenmanami:** engish teacher to be i would not like. hehehe. engish. engish. engish. engish. oppose bology it does eh? Hehehehhehehehehheheheheheh

**incrediblyhotstuff2330:** NO!! COM EBACK!!

**incrediblyhotstuff2330** has left the room.

**SpiritsareREALQuothI:** its called a typo freakface.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** do u know how 2 get ahold of clueless?

**achooblessyou:** You put your right foot in…

**itzjusbootyful:** i think u all r a bunch of lozers.

**lilgreenmanami:** because i'm green it is isn't it?

**achooblessyou:** u shud talk. "bootyful"? please. that is sooooo last millenium.

**SpiritsareREALQuothI:** aww i didst not meaneth it yobe.

**lilgreenmanami:** talking I AM!!

**lilgreenmanami:** sniffle

* * *

Luke stared at the computer. The chatters were acting even stranger than normal.

He glanced at the chrono and then back at the computer. Then he did a double take. He was supposed to be at Leia's for lunch!

* * *

**  
****KraytDracheDeAmour:** g2g, c u l8er!!

**lilgreenmanami:** bye lukie!!

**lilgreenmanami:** good LUCK i mean!!

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** good luck w/what??

**SpiritsareREALQuothI:** thats real genius yoba.

**lilgreenmanami:** good luck w/ur life. :D

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** o... k...

* * *

Looking a little alarmed, Luke shut down his computer and rushed over to his sister's.

* * *

"Sorry I'm late," Luke said breathlessly. "I got tied up."

"Doing what?" Leia inquired.

"Playing Rebels and Imperials with the kids?" Luke quickly changed the subject, "Something smells good."

And so Leia went along with it, but not after giving her brother a long, calculating look.

* * *

Later, when he got back from his sister's home, Luke logged on to the computer. Sadly, **CluelessOnCoruscant **was not in the **Psych Lounge**. But maybe she would come soon...Luke hoped so, at least.

* * *

**  
****SuzyQamI:** 15/f/human. ne1 wanna talk?

**DejaVuoftheMostExtremeKind:** havent u asked me that b4?

**smugglingspicesniffsniff:** i like womprats. they taste good. they smell good. they look good. they r neat. i want a womprat. mom says no. but i say yes,. theres so much u can do w/em... womprat suop. womprat stew. womprat gumbo.

**inotherwords43:** 0o oooooooohhhhhhhh

**NannerOfGold: **#(ô¿ô)# clown

**inotherwords43:** hehehehhe

**NannerOfGold:** £¤£

**smugglingspicesniffsniff:** womprats with noodlez. womprat w/soy sauce. womprat meatloaf.

**NannerOfGold:** /O-O\ cool

**anzatoftheanzati:** worm

**pisatheHutt:** snot vampire

**anzatoftheanzati:** fatty

**pisatheHutt:** nasty

**smugglingspicesniffsniff: **womprat w/veggies. womprat w/kerosene. womprat w/toilet water...

**anzatoftheanzati:** dumb

**pisatheHutt:** reclusive

**anzatoftheanzati:** is that s'posed to b an insult!?

**CluelessOnCoruscant** entered the room.

* * *

"Yes!" Luke exclaimed softly. It was about time. He sent her a pm.

* * *

**  
****KraytDracheDeAmour:** hey!!1 i've been waitin 4 u!

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **srry. ive been a bit busy

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** no prob! :)

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **what happened the other night?

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** power problem. i believe we were about to exchange names?

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **yep!! i've been thinkin about it allllllllllllllll day!!

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** you go first...you might not believe me.

**CluelessOnCoruscant: **fine. Chicken.

* * *

Luke leaned in closer to the screen, not wanting to miss the name in the case of another freak accident. He might want to meet her someday...And he was curious.

* * *

**  
****CluelessOnCoruscant:** know what? i changed my mind. you go first flyboy.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** hey thats not fair

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** So? lifes not fair.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** how about i give a letter u give a letter i give a letter u give a letter, etc.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** thats not fair. i have a short name.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** how many letters?

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** enough. now come on!!

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** what if i just give u one of my nickname?s

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** u give me a nickname i'll give u a letter

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** sheepishly farmboy.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** ...a...

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** no fair!!1 thats a common letter!!

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** sorry. too bad.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** sorry doesn't feed the pittin.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** it doesn't feed me either. now come on!!

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** i still say that's cheep.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** that's what the all say.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** they

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** fine. if ur gonna b a sore loser...

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** hey i am not the loser here!!

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** sure.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** the only reason i havegn't told u my name is cuz if i did i would scare u off

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** right.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** u'd b surprised.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** i'm sure... now come on!!

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** fine!! how in space can one person be so annoying?!

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** oh so now i'm annoying huh?

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** well if the boot fits...

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** buy it!!

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** i'md not buyin ur boots!

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** who said anything about MY boots?

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** who said anything about saaying anything?

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** geesh ur stalling longer then a beat-up corellian freighter!

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** after that comment I SHOULDN'T tell u.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** fine.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** fine.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** fine.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** FINE!

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** ...pweese? whimpers

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** stang. i can't stanad a man who begs.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** who said anything about begging?

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** shut up now if u want me to tell u

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** shutting up sir.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** GLARE

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** MA'AM!! I SAID MA'AM!!

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** im gonna let it go this onec

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** My name is Jade.

* * *

Luke's eyes widened to the point that if they were holes they could have swallowed the _Falcon_ easily.

Jade...

She'd said Jade.

She did say Jade, right?

What if it was a typo, and she'd meant Pade?

Or Jane.

Definitely Jane...

Well...

What if Jade was her _first_ name?

And what if the_ Falcon_ was one hundred percent reliable all the time?

_You'll never get anywhere with what-if's, _Luke told himself, looking back toward the screen.

* * *

**  
****CluelessOnCoruscant:** well?

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** well what?

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** ur turn.

**KraytDracheDeAmour:** u didnt give me ur full name. and is that ur first or last name?

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** gimme part of your name first.

* * *

Luke thought about it. If it _were_ Mara Jade and he lied to her about his identity, then there were several jokes that would be opened up to him that he could play on her...But he couldn't bring himself to do it. There had to be fairer ways to be humorous.

* * *

******KraytDracheDeAmour:** lucas

* * *

The minute he typed it and pressed the ENTER key, he slapped his hand to his forehead. He'd argued with himself, and decided _not_ to not lie...And yet he'd lied anyway.

Well, technically it wasn't a full lie. He _was_ 'Luke S.' He had just spelled it wrong. He could be truthful in a moment if he felt like it...And if it was Mara...

* * *

**  
****KraytDracheDeAmour: **u go

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** all right. but i warned u.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** my name is Mara Jade.

* * *

Luke could have sworn that his jaw dropped all the way down to the floor and that his eyes almost popped out of their sockets. It _was _her, it was!...Wasn't it?

* * *

**  
****CluelessOnCoruscant:** ur turn.

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **is that "Mara Jade" as in the ex-emperor's hand? as in possessor of luke skywalker's father's lightsaber, "Mara Jade"?

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** yeah.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** heeey...how did u know that!?s

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **b/c this is ur boyfriend.

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** ..i dont have a b/f...especially one named "lucas"

* * *

Luke looked hurt...But then she _had_ typed it in rather quickly.

* * *

**  
****KraytDracheDeAmour: **i'm surprised you would disown me so quickly

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** prove it

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **we're supposed to go out and "socialize" sometime sooon...that is, when i "heal"...according to u and that stupid droid tsht should go have its gears analyzed

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** LUKE SKYWALKER? ALL THIS TIME YOU'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT ME TO A COMPLETE STRANGER?!

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **but ur _not_ a complete stranger

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** but what if I was?

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **i never mentioned ur name

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** but what if u had?! shavit Skywalker you are in sooo much trouble!

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **cant we just kiss and make up? evil grin

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** those expressions arent gonna work on here, farmboy...but i suppose if u worked on that "kiss and make up" thing very hard...

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **is now a good time??

**CluelessOnCoruscant:** forget it, Skywalker. ur still healing!!

**KraytDracheDeAmour: **but Maaaarrrraaa


	7. Chapter Seven

The dark form surveyed the screenful of information before him.

It might have seemed like his mission had failed, but in fact it had accomplished just what he'd wanted it to.

Unseen by anyone, he smiled.

* * *

"So, Security has been keeping a tight lid on this?" Luke glanced at his sister.

Luke, Han, Leia, Mara, and Chewbacca were all gathered in the living room having a discussion. The twins and Anakin were out with Threepio and Artoo on what was hopefully a safe outing.

Leia nodded. "They said they aren't at liberty to give out details yet. Something about learning more..."

"Well, they'd better not call it an isolated incident. I certainly don't think that nearly having my leg blasted off would merit that description!" Luke snorted.

"I don't know about that. It might just be a couple of your admirers wanting to take a chunk out of your leg for a souvenir," Mara said sarcastically.

"That's tacky," Luke scoffed. "You would think they'd rather have a lock of my hair! After all, it _would_ last longer!"

"Who would want a smelly piece of _your_ hair?!" Mara was incredulous. "It's probably lice-infested, and you haven't bathed in—"

"Hold it!" Luke held his hands up, glaring at her as Han exchanged a knowing look with his wife. "I do _not_ have lice!"

"Often," Mara mumbled.

Luke exclaimed, "I do not, have never, and will never!"

"Will never what?"

Luke gave her an annoyed glance. "You know."

"Oh, _that_. I _knew_ you were celibate, but I thought that once you got married you would finally—"

If Luke's mouth had been open any wider, then his jaws would have come off their hinges faster than a Wookiee on fire could climb, and if his eyes had been any wider, then they would have popped out of his head right then and there.

Han, Leia, and Chewbacca were finding the whole situation amusing, but they were covering their mouth with hands and paws so as to avoid incurring Luke's oncoming wrath.

"You—you—you—" Luke couldn't find anything to say.

Mara raised an eyebrow. "Have I finally made the great Jedi Master speechless?"

"Appalled is more like it!" He looked frustrated and glanced briefly but pointedly at his family members, and then he spoke in her mind. _Not in front of _them_!_

Mara's reply through the Force seemed to have a humorous note to it. _Ah, so you don't like discussing your life in the bedroom with your family?_

Luke's reply was sour. _This coming from the woman who doesn't like to discuss anything that _doesn't_ pertain to violence with _anybody_!_

Mara's eyes narrowed. _Nothing wrong with that._

_Yeah, except your social life is lacking._ Luke raised an eyebrow challengingly.

_You're one to talk,_ came her mental retort.

_At least I have friends._

Mara was on the defensive. _I have friends!_

_You don't have friends, you have _acquaintances_,_ Luke sent Mara via the Force.

_Talon Karrde is my—_

_Boss,_ Luke broke in.

* * *

Leia, Han, and Chewie exchanged frustrated looks. From the expressions of anger and concentration on the two humans' faces, they were having another Force conversation.

Han cleared his throat, and Mara and Luke turned and glared venomously at him. Whatever he was going to say was quickly forgotten, and he held up his hands in surrender. He wasn't stupid enough to mess with a pair of ticked off Force users.

* * *

_  
__Ghent is—_

_A business acquaintance,_ Luke told her smugly in her mind.

_Well,_ Mara thought for a moment, —_what about Han?_

Luke snickered. _You can't stand the man!_

_I can't stand you, but you're still my friend._

_Yowch._

Mara smiled. One point for her!

_But I'm your _boy_friend, _Luke brought to attention the slight technical difference.

_He's a boy, and he's a friend._

_Han is _not_ your friend._

Mara looked shocked, and in his mind, she inserted, _Oh, so now you're controlling who _is_ and who _isn't_ my friend, huh?_

_That is _not_ what I was doing!_ Luke insisted._ I was merely pointing out that to have friends you have to be friendly, which is something you're not._

_This coming from the man who's won the 'Most Reclusive Man of the Year' award _twice_, _Mara returned.

_Have not!_

_Well, if you haven't, then you should have!_

_I'm getting better about the whole 'reclusive' thing!_

_Prove it!_

The two stared at each other, both daring the other to back down. But neither of them had any intention of backing down from this challenge.

Unable to take it anymore, Han, Leia, and Chewie all began laughing vigorously.

Through his Wookie snorts, Chewbacca told them, _Your banter is worse than theirs._ He gestured towards the Solos.

"I don't know about that," Han smirked after giving a chuckle.

"How did you know we were fighting?" Luke questioned, a bit defensively.

"Please, kid. We'd have been pretty dumb if we _had__n't_ known you were fighting."

"Well, then I'm surprised you _did_, Solo. You never struck me as the observant type," Mara's emerald eyes were slitted at the man.

Han started to retort, but he stopped as he saw his brother-in-law's strange expression.

All of the blood had drained out of Luke's face, and his eyes were half-closed. He was mumbling something quietly but insistently under his breath as tremors ran through his body.

"Luke?" Mara asked worriedly as she shook the Jedi's arm.

But Luke did not reply.

Mara tried to use the Force to enter the Jedi Master's mind, but she was violently thrown out by an enraged force which caused her to hit the back of the couch hard enough to knock the breath out of her.

"What the—" Han's immediate response was to draw his blaster, but there was no attacker in sight.

"I'm all right," Mara wheezed, trying to get back her air. "But I'm not sure about him."

As soon as the last word left the Trader's mouth, Luke's eyes shot open. His face slowly began to regain color, and Leia was soon by his side. "What's wrong?" the Alderaanian asked, touching Luke's shoulder.

"I felt a dark being, someone who seemed a lot like...Vader."

* * *

Meanwhile, on a private Holonet chatroom...

* * *

**  
****lilgreenmanami:** goin 2 do what bout this are we?!

**SpiritsareREALQuothI:** do you think I know? sigh maybe its time for us to have a talk w/ her

**lilgreenmanami:** her?! but dangerous 4 her this could be...

**SpiritsareREALQuothI:** true. byut if we dont bring her into the picture, it could become even more dangerous for everyone else

**lilgreenmanami:** fine. understand this well i do...talk w/her alone should i? or coming are you?

**SpiritsareREALQuothI:** it would prob b best coming from us both...

**lilgreenmanami:** await your arrival i will

**lilgreenmanami** left the room.

**SpiritsareREALQuothI** left the room.

User Chatroom **Uh oh** deleted.


	8. Chapter Eight

After using the short time he had bought by influencing some employees of the medical center, it was finally time. Time for the Jedi Luke Skywalker to finally surrender to both the Master of Evil and the Empire, as all should have been from the start.

The sinister being pushed the communications button and relayed his orders.

* * *

After making sure that Luke was all right, wasn't going to faint, didn't want to take a nap, and didn't want a glass of water, Leia allowed the conversation to continue, though she still kept a sharp eye on her brother. She debated calling an emergency meeting and telling the Council about the new threat, but then she decided that she needed proof before doing so.

And she was about to get some proof, although it wasn't the kind she expected.

"And then the gornt said, 'Why not?' And—" Han was cut off in the middle of his joke by Leia's comlink, which demanded her attention.

As Leia pulled up her comlink, she neglected to notice the look of surprise and concentration on his brother-in-law's face.

Scowling, Han told Mara and Luke, "That's her private comlink. They're not supposed to use it unless there's an emergency...It's probably Ackbar, concerned about some reckless smuggler who g—"

Leia hushed her husband with her hand, carrying on a conversation with the caller before finally stating, "We're on our way."

"What is it?" Han shot to his feet. He had a bad feeling about what she was going to say, and he knew that it more than likely had to do with the being Luke had sensed.

Her face grim, Leia turned to him and told him what Luke already knew via the Force. "Coruscant's under attack."

* * *

And so, after having received a little more information, Han and Chewie went off to the _Falcon_, Leia off to Mon Mothma's side, and Luke and Mara off to the _Jade's Fire_. Mara Jade wasn't happy about his touching her pride and joy, but she wasn't happy about the fleet of Star Destroyers above Coruscant either.

Mara took the controls, and Luke took the guns. They got clearance from a panicked young human, and the _Jade's Fire _shot toward space.

"Holy—"

"Sith," Mara finished for Luke.

And 'Holy Sith' pretty much summed it all up.

There were more battle-ready Star Destroyers out above Coruscant than should have been in existence, and there were also several new, powerful ships that the Republic had never encountered.

Although they didn't know it, the strange fighters that came buzzing out of the Star Destroyers were Tatin Fighters, and the big ships that weren't quite Victory-Class Star Destroyer-size had been dubbed Imperial Assault Frigates, a sort of mockery of the Rebel Assault Frigates. But the Imperial Assault Frigates had four times as much firepower as Rebel Assault Frigates, and they possessed even better shields.

There were also various ships buzzing around and causing havoc for the ships that the Republic sent to defend the planet. They looked like they had been scrounged up from an old shipyard or belonged to hired mercenaries, but despite their seemingly unorganized appearance they packed quite a punch.

The line of TIE Fighters, Bombers, Interceptors, and other Imperial fighters that came out of the Star Destroyers seemed to never end, and the continually arriving reinforcements that came from Coruscant had trouble keeping them at bay.

Mumbling incoherently, Luke sent off a few blasts at two TIE Fighters, and he noted with satisfaction that both blew up.

But he was not pleased to see that their place was taken by two more TIEs and the strange Tatin Fighters that he had never seen before.

Mara twisted the _Jade's Fire _to avoid their fire, and Luke managed to graze one before hitting his head on the wall. "Watch it!" he exclaimed.

"Deal with it, Skywalker," came the redhead's reply as she dodged more laser bolts. "A little more pain'll do you good. It might teach you a Jedi lesson or some such nonsense."

"Woohoo!" a voice shouted over the comm as a TIE left their plane of existence.

"Solo always has tried to show off," Mara snorted. "Too bad he's never succeeded."

"Well, let's show him what showing off really is!" Luke grinned, plunging into the Force for better accuracy.

Time seemed to slow down for him, and pinpointing the exact spot he should shoot at to extinguish the lifeforce of enemy fighters was easier than ever.

One, two, three...Five fighters down.

"Not bad for a farmboy," Mara whistled.

But his concentration was fully focused on one thing: annihilation.

Thinking about it later, he grudgingly admitted to himself that he might have been dabbling in the Dark Side, since all he'd been thinking about was the kill. But then he argued with himself that he was focused on killing to _prevent_ deaths.

Whatever the motives, his mind was determinedly on the track of killing the attackers.

* * *

"My emperor?" the Imperial Captain swallowed. He gained a nod from the figure before him, and he continued to speak. "Thirty percent of Coruscant's defense fleet has been eradicated, but reinforcements have come out of hyperspace. Shall we send out more TIE Fighters?"

"No," the man before the nervous officer rumbled. "But send out the H'tis Fighters I recently designed."

"But, my lord, they have not yet been tested against enemy f—" the brave but slightly nervous man was cut off.

"All the better, Captain Piett. Let the Rebels be the first to discover their true power."

"Yes, m'lord."

* * *

"What in blazes are those?!" Mara snarled as the first of the H'tis Fighters poured out of the only Super-Class Star Destroyer in the Imperial fleet.

The fighters were more agile than sabercats and had immensely powerful blasters. Unfortunately, none of the blasts that Republic forces spat out at them seemed to have any effect.

"Beats me," Luke shouted, trying to track a particularly evasive TIE Interceptor with his guns. "But it looks we're about to find out."

"That's really reassuring, Skywalker. Surely, you couldn't be more tactical and say something like, 'Beats me, but we'll blow them out of the sky'? No, not you. You'd think you confident Jedi would try to—"

"Mara!"

"Yes?"

"Shut up and fly the ship."

* * *

Han Solo let out a war-cry as he blasted another fighter out of the sky. Chewbacca rolled his eyes but concentrated on flying.

"General Solo," the comm unit crackled.

"_Private_ Solo here," Han said, emphasizing the fact that he was no longer on the New Republic's payroll.

"A squadron of X-wings, Y-wings, and a few miscellaneous ships are going to make a run on the Star Destroyer on—" the woman rattled off the coordinates. "Will you join them?"

"Sure. Why not?" Han answered. He cut off the comm. "What would be more fun than making a suicide run on an Imperial-Class Star Destroyer? Too bad it isn't the much bigger Super-Class Star Destroyer with a few more teeth," he grumbled sarcastically.

Then Han turned a little more serious. "You hear them, Chewie?" he yelled at his copilot. "We're going for a ride!"

* * *

Put simply, the battle was harsh. The New Republic's forces were greatly outnumbered by the Imperials—the NR had assumed, wrongly, that Imperial forces were dwindling down when in actuality they had been gathering together in great numbers. However, it had not been so long since the Rebellion that the New Republic forces forgot how to fight a battle when the odds were against them.

They put up the fight of their life, and during the battle, the blood of many Imperial and New Republic lives was shed.

It seemed that no one was winning, and no one was losing...

But many...were dying.

* * *

The _Jade's Fire _was also asked to go on a run against a Star Destroyer, though they were taking on the Super-Class Star Destroyer, the _Eradicator_. Luke sent out a stream of laser bolts after a H'tis Fighter before blasting at the gargantuan _Eradicator_. Suddenly, the ship was jarred, and Mara cursed.

"What happened?" Luke asked, almost afraid of the answer, for the dark presence was nearer than ever.

"Tractor beam," she answered shortly.

"Stang." Luke was silent a moment. "I don't suppose we could try that umm, one maneuver—"

"The one that had you stranded in space where you could have permanently stayed or been picked up by Imperials if it hadn't been for me?"

"All right. So it was a bad idea."

"No, really?" Mara's voice dripped with sarcasm.

* * *

"We have them, my emperor," Piett stated.

"Good."

* * *

"Time is growing short," the solemn Jedi told the woman and alien before him. "They will soon be captured by him, and I fear the worst."

"Hate to ask you this, we do, but our only choice, it is," the alien said in an almost mournful voice.

"I thought the request would be best coming from the both of us...I know going through with it may dig up painful memories, but it would be even more painful to _not_ try to take methods of prevention."

The woman remained silent, and the alien spoke, "If with his plan he continues, then doomed are we all. Help you must, for the final breaking point you could be."

Closing her eyes with a pained expression, the woman whispered, "I will go."


	9. Chapter Nine

"No hidden smuggler compartments big enough to fit us both?" Luke asked hopefully.

Mara answered heavily, "No. I never had enough time to install the blasted things."

"What about the escape pods?" Luke inquired, his voice rising a few notches.

"Hitting puberty a little late there, pal?" Mara questioned, trying to lighten the atmosphere, which was thick with Luke's fear and Mara's apprehension.

But Luke ignored Mara's barb, staring pointedly at her. "Well?"

"No, Skywalker. Escape pods are not an option."

"Sithspit," he hissed under his breath.

"What—you can't wave your magic Jedi wand and teleport us out of this place?"

Luke smiled halfheartedly. "Only if you'll put on a Genie outfit and do the Dance of the Seven Veils."

Mara rolled her eyes. "Looks like we aren't going to be teleporting anytime soon."

"And the only dancing we'll be doing shall probably be at the mercy of an Imperial Interrogation droid," Luke snarled. He was growing even more nervous than he had thought possible.

"Nice to know you haven't lost any of your ever-lasting optimism."

"And your cynicism seems to still be in full-force," Luke returned.

"Nice to know we complement each other so well...Now, if only we could figure out a way how to disguise ourselves from whoever is about to come right through that door, since we have just been forced to land on a krethin' docking—"

"Mara!" Luke quieted her. Once he had her attention, he spoke, "Unarm yourself. Put your two regular blasters, your pocket blaster, your vibroblade, your grenades, and your other weapons in the secret compartment under the pilot's chair...But keep your lightsaber. They'll be suspicious if you're unarmed."

"What if I don't want—Hey! How did you know about my hiding spot?"

"I, uh, saw it in a dream once?" Luke quickly changed the subject. "Please, just do it."

Mara stared at him, making no move to put her weapons up.

"Do I have to get them for you?" Luke asked in frustration, moving wickedly towards the vibroblade that he knew she had hidden in her bra.

"That's all right, farmboy! Don't get too touchy-feely." Mara held her hands up to bar him, and she removed the 'safe' weapons from her person. Then she turned around to get the weapons that were hidden in more private places.

She shoved the weapons under the pilot's chair just as the door whisked open.

In came several weapon-bearing Stormtroopers and...

Yes...It was him.

One of the Stormtroopers ordered, "You shall bow before your new emperor, Rebel scum!"

Mara spat at him and sneered, "Fat chance of that happening in this lifetime."

But she was backhanded, something that was not typical for a Stormtrooper to do.

Luke rushed forward and tried to launch himself at the Stormtrooper.

"You'll find he's not a typical Stormtrooper."

Reluctantly, Luke and Mara turned to the man that the Stormtrooper had called emperor.

* * *

The alien skeptically stared at the male human for a few moments. "The ship, you got where?"

The old man shrugged. "The person I got it from will no longer need it."

The alien's eyes narrowed, "Hurt someone, you did not?"

"No, I didn't hurt anyone."

"Hmph. Trustworthy enough for her, it is?"

The man nodded. "It is equipped with weapons just in case, and we shall have to cloak it when she—"

"I'm done packing," the woman in question said softly as she entered the room.

"Good." The man smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Let's go," he lightly tugged at her arm, but she turned to him, eyes flaring slightly.

"We?"

"Yes. I'm going with you."

"No."

"It's too dangerous for you to go alone."

"And if you go with me, it might all fall apart," she countered.

"But how are you supposed to get int—" the man was cut off.

"I have more than enough experience with disguising myself, Obi-Wan."

"Yoda!" the Jedi pleaded, hoping to have _someone_ on his side.

The alien closed his eyes, and Obi-Wan waited with bated breath for his answer. Opening them, Yoda sighed. "Right, she is. Best, her way could be."

Kenobi mumbled under his breath, "You were supposed to agree with _me_."

"But drop him off at Tatooine, you should," the little green man answered. "Quick access to a vehicle, he might need, should things spiral out of control."

"Fine," the woman agreed reluctantly.

Glad that he was at least allowed to do that much, Obi-Wan Kenobi followed the small woman that could very well be the galaxy's savior into the ship.


	10. Chapter Ten

Glaring venomously, Luke snarled, "Reading my mind, were you?"

The man before him rumbled, "It was not very hard." He held a hand up. "You can ask questions after you are taken into your cell."

Carefully guarding his thoughts, Luke began to ask if they were going to share a cell, but then he clamped his mouth shut. If he seemed overeager, their sharing cells might be made even less likely.

A pair of Stormtroopers scanned both of them for weapons. Luke was surprised that Mara had actually done what he had suggested, getting rid of all her weapons except her lightsaber.

Luke smirked to himself. Most of her weapons were probably of the illegal, hard-to-get, and expensive nature, and she probably just didn't want them to be confiscated.

And she knew as well as he did that any attempt at resistance would only worsen their situation. If that were possible.

"Tell the bridge to prepare for the jump into hyperspace."

"Yes, my emperor," the Imperial that had backhanded Mara bowed and walked briskly away. Mara could have sworn there was a skip in his step.

The two were then cuffed and roughly shoved in the direction of the exit.

"Easy there," Mara grumbled. "We're fragile, valuable cargo. Hurt us before it's time, and you'll be sent off to the spice mines of Kessel...If you're lucky."

Luke rolled his eyes as she continued her angry but quiet rambling, still finding himself somewhat surprised that she hadn't grabbed someone's blaster and started shooting.

He tried to think about more pleasant things, but his thoughts were racing uncontrollably.

They were doomed. Doomed to die, doomed to turn, or doomed to eternally wish that they _had_ turned.

As he was heading towards what would be his prison for stars knew how long, he attempted to put up a Force shield, so that he wasn't broadcasting his emotions to every Force sensitive in the galaxy.

He noted that Mara, despite all of her false bravado and outward anger, had a glimmer of what Luke could have sworn was fear in her eyes.

He only caught vague feelings from her, but it seemed that her past was coming back to her because of the Imperial setting and their captor.

Luke hoped that she would be able to deal with it alone for the time, although he would attempt to discuss it with her later...That is, if she let him.

All too soon, they were at their cell. The Stormtroopers stayed outside to guard them, and their tormentor followed them inside, the door hissing shut ominously, as if warning them of what was to come.

"You're supposed to be dead," were the first words that left Luke's mouth, though another major thought that was tormenting him was: _I thought you had turned. _Luke's words were somewhat accusatory and were more than a bit bitter. He stared unwaveringly at the man in front of him. The words hung in the air for a pregnant moment, until Luke spat, as if it were a curse, "_Father_."

Darth Vader stared at his son. The years had changed him, which could prove to be an inconvenience. The farmboy naïveté was still there, but it lurked below the surface, buried beneath layers of experience and grief.

After probing, Vader found that Luke's Force presence was brighter than it appeared to be and that his son was shielding himself.

Vader also sensed in his son hostility buried beneath the surface, which could be a possible benefit for him if he could get his son to use his anger...And if he could get Jade to turn, that would be another incentive for the boy to do so as well.

The Sith Lord, however, had to admit to himself that they were not children anymore, and he himself wasn't as young as he used to be. Luke was a little too thin for his liking—Vader instantly reprimanded himself for the overprotective parent-like thought, steaming at his moment of weakness.

Vader remained silent, and the only noise in the bland room was that of his mechanically forced breathing.

Since his father and Mara didn't appear to have anything to say out loud, Luke continued with another almost accusation, this one more sorrowful. "I thought you had returned to the Light at the end...But you are no longer the Anakin Skywalker that I thought I had known."

Darth Vader felt a dark satisfaction. His son's naïveté was showing more clearly now. "Do you really think that I would have turned so easily? That two meetings would be enough to reverse my entire character? I see I underestimated your intelligence." That comment caused Luke's eyes to narrow in anger and Mara's to slit into challenging slivers.

He continued to speak. "I saw my chance to kill my pathetic, deteriorating fool of a master, and I took it. But I underestimated Palpatine, and his Force-drawn lightning wrecked havoc on both my suit and my body...It has taken all of these years, and the use of many medics, for my body to heal back to the state it was in before Palpatine attacked me."

Mara's feathers were really ruffled now, but a look from Luke caused her to close her mouth. There would be plenty of time for insults _after_ Vader finished the story of his resurrection...And Mara certainly intended to get a fair share of insults in.

"It was all too easy to convince you—a boy eager to see any good in his father—that I had turned in the end, for if I wanted to get myself back to my former state I couldn't have you slicing my body to pieces...Faking my death, was, as you might imagine, difficult in the state of pain that I was in. But it worked, and when we arrived at Endor, I quickly exited the ship while you were in your state of sorrow. I killed a nearby Rebel pilot, returned, and placed the body in the Imperial ship in 'my' place, with a Force disguise over him that fooled you easily in your pointless grief." Vader seemed pleased with himself. "Then I implanted a suggestion in your mind that you should burn what you thought was simply the suit, and after the last trace of evidence from the Rebel pilot was gone, I took the dead pilot's ship and flew close to the ground so that the trees would mask it from wary Rebel eyes.

"I went to a small planet in the Unknown Regions that contained several loyal Imperial soldiers that had not heard of Palpatine's death. There was also a well-equipped medical facility there that could tend to my needs. All my time since has been spent healing and gathering loyal Imperial soldiers. I have acquired a rather large fleet by showing myself to a few select high Imperial officers who willingly turned their fleets over to me. All aboard the _Eradicator_ are one hundred percent loyal to me, and all know of my existence. None tell."

There was a lull, as Vader seemed to mull over whether there was anything else they needed to know. "Ah, yes, I have also designed a few ships such as the Tatin fighters, Imperial Assault Frigates, and H'tis fighters."

"More death-causers?" Luke shot unflinchingly.

"If that is what you _wish_ to call them."

"Monster," Mara muttered under her breath. "Low-voiced, hack-breathing, heartless—"

Ignoring the redhead next to him, Luke inquired, "So you've taken on the mantle of Emperor, now?"

"—one-minded, half-witted, armor wearing—"

"I am Palpatine's successor. I merely took his _place_ as Emperor. The Grand Moffs and Grand Admirals wanted a more powerful-seeming leader, and they were quick to bestow the position on me. Their only regret is that they dare not cross me in even the most trivial of matters, as they did with Palpatine."

As Vader spoke, Mara still continued, "—nerf-herding, helmet-wearing, unfashionable, funeral-colored, cowardly, booted, fiendish, villainous, obnoxious, vile, mean, wretched, corrupt, perverted, depraved, immoral—"

"Are you done yet?" Vader's helmet-covered eyes were upon her, and she felt suddenly uncomfortable, but she nonetheless added a bit more for good measure.

"—nefarious, infamous, abominable, heinous, detestable, horrible," she was beginning to wind down, "—terrible, atrocious...wickedly evil...sorry excuse for a Sith Lord!..._And_ an emperor!"

"Now that the poor attempt at a thesaurus has run out of things to say, perhaps we can carry on a conversation like _normal_ adult human beings?" Vader's eyes practically shot out laser bolts from beneath his mask.

"Maybe I _like_ thesauruses," Luke muttered. Mara's ramblings _had_ lifted his spirits, even if only a tinge.

"And maybe _I_ like people who like thesauruses," Mara returned, though she did so louder than Luke.

"And maybe _I_ would like the two of you to _stop_ behaving like children," Vader told them stonily. They could feel his anger building up.

Luke glanced at his father casually and spoke in what could pass for a conversational tone, devoid of anger. "You've changed, Father."

"As have you." There was a brief pause before Vader walked over to the door. "I have other matters to attend to. I will leave you here to consider whether you wish to turn or die. Those are your only options."

And then he left.

"Well, isn't he just Mr. Bright and Sunny," Mara stated under her breath.

"Take the opposite of that, and you have my father down," Luke said with a sigh.


	11. Chapter Eleven

Luke was feeling strangely light-headed. By all rights, he should be at the lowest point of his life...But he wasn't. Why was that?

It didn't take him long to think about it. He was just in love, a constant state of euphoria that just seemed to rise, never dipping down.

It was a strange feeling. His head felt muddled, but he was also seeing things more clearly than ever.

When he thought about Vader, he didn't feel as grim as he had during their first few meetings. When he had been expecting to see Vader, he had been very grim, but now a little of that grimness had faded away...

He stared at the ground for a few minutes in thought and then grinned at Mara. "I give Vader ten minutes." They were both seated on the floor with their legs crossed.

"I don't know...He seemed pretty peeved."

"Yeah, but I'm sure he can't wait to come back in here and see what we're up to," Luke pointed out.

Mara shrugged. "That's what he has security cameras for, Skywalker."

"Ah. Well, in that case, we should put on a show for him," Luke's eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Oh, really?" Mara raised an eyebrow. "What kind of show?"

"This kind," Luke grinned, as he reached over and pulled her to him, bringing his head down to hers. Their lips came together, and the kiss started off gentle, as each explored the taste of the other. Quickly, it became more impatient, as arms snaked around backs and the moment became more heated.

* * *

Vader watched the holoscreen before him, feeling annoyance wash over him. It hadn't taken too long for the two to start groping and necking like teenagers.

He considered interrupting them, but then he paused as an idea struck him.

What if he could convince them that he was going to leave them alone for a few days with the security cameras off? Without food, of course...

How far would the obviously-in-love couple be willing to go in an Imperial cell?

Vader had to grudgingly admit that they weren't likely to go too far...

But what if they thought they weren't going to survive much longer?

Of course, there was an easier way to get a Force-sensitive grandchild. He could always collect certain samples and have a physician perform in vitro fertilization...

It was something to mull over.

Meanwhile, he had something to attend to. He turned on the communications unit and relayed orders to his specially placed group of men, all of whom were several systems away.

His men would make sure that the pair regretted ever standing against him.

* * *

Mara turned around and allowed Luke to pull her onto his lap.

"Well, he didn't run in here to stop us."

Nuzzling his head against her hair, Luke growled playfully in his throat, "Maybe he doesn't know what animals we can be."

"We? You're the one that's growling like a fimdaug in heat!" Mara laughed.

Luke nipped at her ear. "Woof woof...Does that mean I get to—"

"What?" Mara turned around and looked at him challengingly.

"Well..." Unable to think of a reply that wouldn't earn him a smack on the head, Luke just laughed, rolling his twinkling eyes and pulling Mara toward him for another kiss.

Several minutes later, Mara sighed, her head on Luke's shoulder. She spoke wistfully, "I wish we could stay like this forever."

"Yeah," Luke agreed. "Sitting here like this with you...It's like a dream come true."

Mara smiled. "It's even better than being on Coruscant. Instead of scrambling about to fulfill duties, we can just sit here together in this cell, with no duties to complete..."

Luke chuckled. "We're a weird pair, aren't we?"

"We relish spending time a prison cell—what's weird about that?"

Luke turned Mara around and raised an eyebrow at her. He captured her mouth with his own, only to pull back with wide eyes and a hanging jaw as he was abruptly bombarded through the Force by screams.

_Thousands_ of panicked death-cries...

Pain fright regret sorrow.

And then—a big, dark void in the Force.

'I felt a great disturbance in the Force...as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced,' Obi-Wan's words came back to haunt him, taunt him.

It was a horrible sensation, being hit with the ambivalence of so many creatures' deaths at once. So much hurt, sadness, confusion, anger, fear...

And evil.

The evil was actually real now. His grimness returned in greater force than he had ever felt.

This was not just a day in paradise with the woman he loved.

Darth Vader was a _real _threat. Their situation was _actually_ grim.

The deaths of those humans and aliens were a _real_ tragedy.

It was because he had let his guard down that he had been unable to prevent their deaths.

If he hadn't been so caught up in what he'd ignorantly thought was an opportunity to spend some quality time with Mara, then Vader wouldn't have stooped to such low measures to give him a wake-up call.

It was _his_ fault. All his fault.

* * *

Although not as strongly as Luke, Mara had also sensed the deaths, and her face was paler than a ghost. A small headache had started to build, somewhat akin to the headache that ysalamiri gave her. Eyes wide, she had merely stared straight into nothingness after the deaths passed, and now her thoughts were running awry. Vader had killed so many people, just like that...

Suddenly, she felt a darkening of her companion's thoughts, of a kind that she had only rarely sensed from him before. Instantly, she knew why. The feeling was reminiscent of the time Callista had left him because of her lack of Force powers.

He was blaming himself again.

"It's not your fault, Luke," Mara told him softly.

But he wasn't as forgiving of himself. "I should have known better than to let my guard down! I should have paid attention to what was happening around us long enough to—"

"Skywalker!" she exclaimed a little too sharply. She tried to stare into his eyes, but they were downcast. Firmly, she took his chin in her hand and lifted it up so that his eyes looked into hers. With a stubborn set to her jaw, she spoke softly but with intensity. "It is not your fault that your father came back from the dead and got it into his hard head to rebuild the Empire and kill people."

"But if I had tried, I would have been able to see through his illusion on the Death Star or Endor, and I could have penetrated it! He was weak—"

"And you were, too," she reminded him. "Being hit with Force-drawn lightning bolts is no small experience, believe me."

"But I wasn't _that_ weak—"

Mara cut him off. "Look, we can either sit here and argue about it all day, changing nothing and simply proving how you can be as stubborn as your father, _or_ we can try to do something about it." She gave him a solemn yet stern gaze. "It's your choice."

For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of Luke's heavy breathing. He had gotten worked up quickly, and he was trying to calm himself. _Patience,_ he told himself as he took in a deep breath. _Hyperventilating won't get you anywhere._

_That may be true, but if you hadn't been so preoccupied with joining your sister and friends on Endor, then you might have actually noticed that the body didn't burn and smell the way that Vader's suit would have,_ a little voice in his head pointed out.

Defensively, he shot back, _I was stressed!_

_Oh, great, the galaxy is doomed because Luke Skywalker, hero of the Rebellion, got stressed,_ the voice nagged.

He tried to cut it off, but it was still present in the deep recesses of his mind, informing him of his failures and short-comings.

Swallowing, Luke spoke, "What are we going to do? Grab our guards' blasters, shoot everyone in sight, and steal a ship?"

"If only it were that easy," Mara sighed, her emerald eyes losing a bit of their spark. She shook her head slowly. "I think the only thing we can do for now is wait."


	12. Chapter Twelve

Yoda's face was grimly set.

Choices he and Obi-Wan had carefully made were now blowing up in their faces.

Vader was _alive_. The man with more midi-chlorians than even Yoda himself had pulled a blindfold over his and Obi-Wan's heads...Powerful Jedi Masters, indeed.

When the time was ready, Vader had clearly advertised his existence to Force-sensitives across the galaxy by causing the utter destruction of a New Republic shipyard.

But Vader appeared to want to keep his presence temporarily hidden from the rest of the galaxy, trusting that Force sensitives would not tell anyone of their knowledge out of fear that he would come after them, as he had so many Jedi Knights.

Although it was risky, Yoda felt that he owed it to Luke to explain what the two Jedi Masters had done several years previously.

Taking a deep breath and gathering his concentration, Yoda drew upon the Force to create a powerful Force-shield to hide his and Luke's conversation from Darth Vader. It was fortunate that the cell was made specifically to contain Force users—it meant that the use of ysalamiri was unnecessary, so that he _would_ be able to contact Luke.

He would have to make the Force-conversation short, for the longer he spoke in Luke's mind, the more likely it was that Vader would pick up on it. Vader appeared to be currently preoccupied, but there was no telling how long that would last.

The ancient Jedi Master didn't want Vader to know of his and Obi-Wan's existence until it was too late for him.

* * *

To put it lightly, Luke was stunned when he heard a familiar voice speak urgently in his mind, _Luke._

_Yoda?!_ Luke returned, wide-eyed and gaining the curious gaze of his companion.

_Surprised you must not look!_ Yoda hissed via the Force.

Luke quickly extinguished his astonished expression, his eyes telling Mara to hold back any questions and pretend to not notice his surprise.

_Short my time is. Know you do now, alive I am. As is Obi-Wan._

_Obi-Wan's alive?!_ Luke could barely keep his face blank.

_Speak, you should not. Easier for me it is to hide my thoughts from Vader than yours._

And so Luke was quiet, and Yoda continued. _In the Kathol Rift, a group of monks live known as the Aing-Tii. A certain understanding Obi-Wan and I had with them. Alone, we usually left each other, but a few times together we would get to compare Force perspectives. While talking were we, exchanged a few Force techniques we did, including the one used to disappear from the Death Star that Obi-Wan performed. Simple, my death was, as well. A Force illusion._

Almost reluctantly, Yoda went on. _Our appearances of death were created so find us Vader would not and so rely solely on us _you _would not. Stunted your growth, permanently relying on us would have. Created, we did, the spirits on Endor that you saw. Wished to convince you, we did, that pointless our supposed deaths were not, finally balanced the galaxy was, and traces of the Dark Side were wiped away. Thus stay Light, you would, and believe that in the universe all was good._

But Yoda wasn't quite done. _In a dream-like state, Obi-Wan appeared to you once. Did so, did he, in order that wait you would not for his voice to give you advice. By yourself, the answers needed to be found...Know, we did not, that Vader was alive. Whatever happens, alone you shall not be. With the Light you must stay, Luke, for help is on the way._

And then Yoda's voice was gone. Imprints on Luke's mind were all that was left from the realization of how everything he had thought was right had in fact been wrong...

How his teachers had done nothing but lied to him...How those he had once held on a high pedestal were nothing more than bearers of conceit.

But his mind was carefully guarded from Vader. He could easily tell that Mara wanted nothing more than to speak in his mind and question him right then and there, but both could feel that Luke's father's Force sense had just turned to them curiously.

Biting her tongue to prevent herself from demanding that Luke tell her what had happened, Mara finally spoke, "So what kind of torture do you think he's going to perform on us first? Interrogation droids? Water torture? Painful s—"

Luke cut her off weakly, "There's no telling."

He didn't feel like talking.

What he wanted to do was bust through the door, slice off Vader's head, demand that Yoda and Ben tell him why they lied to him, and blast all of the Imperials into oblivion.

His anger was rising to the surface, bubbling threateningly, and it scared Mara. In a low voice, she told him, "Anger is of the Dark—"

"I don't care!" he bit out. "Even Jedi are allowed to get a little ticked off now and then, aren't they?"

Mara's eyes flashed. She wasn't going to let this hack from Nowheresville talk to her like that. "Oh, so is this a case of 'Do as I say, not as I do,' is it? Because you always seem to enjoy telling me every time I get mad that it'll just lead me to the Dark Side!"

"Maybe I was wrong! Maybe the whole Force concept of Light and Dark is little more than a carefully constructed illusion so that people can hold onto their ethics. I see no reason why using one side or the other determines what kind of person you are! It's the ends that matter, not the means!"

Mara tilted her head, contemplating the being in front of her. Skywalker was truly angry about something—she had never heard him talk in such a negative manner. _He_ was always the one lecturing about how one should stay with the Light and not let the Dark Side corrupt one's soul.

But now matters were getting dangerous. His dark emotions were growing stronger and rising to the surface, all because _she_ had been stupid enough to provoke his anger. There was no telling what he was going to do now.

Biting her lip to keep her almost knee-jerk sarcastic replies from coming out, she spoke softly, "Luke, you need to get a handle on yourself."

"How am I supposed to get a handle on myself when my whole universe has just been turned upside down?" Luke hissed in an angry voice that was little more than a whisper.

Mara had no answer to that, and so he continued, struggling with his anger but unable to keep his pent-up emotions inside any longer. "I've been lied to all my life, by my aunt and uncle, by my father, by my teachers...And here I am, in the clutches of one of those liars who wants little more than to take my life and twist it past any point of recognition. I might have been able to live with it all, if it weren't for _their_ betrayal. My masters caused me to go through needless grief and pain..." Luke took a ragged breath.

He was frightened of the future and angry at his mentors. But, most of all, he was hurt.

Hurt that they hadn't trusted in his ability to rely on himself, instead thinking that he would always turn to them if he had known that they were alive.

Furious with them and furious with himself, he gritted, "Blast them! Blast them, and blast Vader, and blast the whole _blasted_ universe!"

"Calm down. You're letting the Dark Side win—" Mara was cut off rather viciously by a glaring Luke Skywalker.

"Letting the Dark Side win? The Dark Side isn't an entity, and therefore it cannot win."

"Fine," she growled, "—then you're letting your _father_ win."

Luke's eyes narrowed. "I haven't told him that I would join hi—"

"Shavit, Skywalker. Open your eyes! If you give in to the Dark Side, then you let Vader win without putting up a fight. If you use his methods, you stoop to his level, and that means you _are_ on his side, whether you admit it or not. So people lied to you. One one's infallible, and that includes you! Maybe I once thought you were, or at least thought that _you_ imagined you were. But I now know that you have just as many insecurities as everyone else, if not even more since you're always trying to save the galaxy and everyone in it...But never yourself."

Mara took a deep breath. It was her turn to be the more philosophical one. "For once, farmboy, you need to try to look after yourself and realize that using the Dark Side for a good purpose doesn't make it right. Using it for any reason will hurt you and others. Think about what you want. Do you really want to walk down the path of evil that your father has chosen? Or do you want something more?"

His blood still boiling, Luke tried to calm himself down as he gazed into her waiting eyes. What _did_ he want?


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Her brother was gone.

His usually bright presence was masked from her attempts to reach out and contact him, as if blocked by a large, dark, sinister presence. The thought of that presence sent chills through her bones.

Han Solo had tried to comfort her over the abduction of Luke, and he had seemed genuinely concerned when she had paled over the death-cries that had assaulted her through the Force. He had asked what was wrong, but she hadn't answered him, knowing he would find out soon enough.

What she wanted was to have her brother back. She feared for him more than she had for a long time.

After she felt the mass of death-cries through the Force but before an aide had come in to confirm the shipyard massacre, Leia had told Han to send Chewbacca and the kids to Kashyyyk, and he had done so without questioning her. Currently, he was sitting quietly beside her, wanting to know what else was wrong but willing to wait as long as she wanted him to.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she turned towards her husband as she had years before on Endor and requested, "Hold me."

He did.

* * *

"What I _don't_ want is to be locked in this blasted cell!" Luke growled. He started pacing.

"At least you aren't by yourself," Mara pointed out.

"At least if I were by myself I would have no qualms about killing myself," Luke muttered quietly under his breath.

But Mara heard him. "Excuse me, Skywalker?"

Knowing better than to feign ignorance, he said, "I might as _well_ kill myself. It would be better than facing the lies my life has been made of."

"Killing yourself would be the coward's way out," Mara narrowed her eyes.

"Maybe I _am_ a coward."

"So, you're telling me is that the Jedi who went against one of the most powerful space stations in the galaxy and _survived_ is a coward?"

"In a word...Yes."

"Skywalker—"

"I'm heading down the path that my father chose, and I can't stop it..._You_ can't stop it. It's my destiny."

"There is no such thing as predestination—"

"How would you know?" Luke turned to her viciously. "I don't think I need lecturing from a woman who doesn't even _attempt_ to change herself, a woman who is always living in the past—"

"My past is all I know," Mara gritted.

"And lies are all I know," Luke countered. "If _you_ can get angry any time you want, then why can't I?"

"Because your anger is born of the Dark Side—"

"_All_ anger is born of the Dark Side!"

"No," Mara said coldly. "It isn't."

"How do you know you aren't dabbling in the Dark Side right now?"

"Do you really want to know, Skywalker?" At Luke's nod, she snarled, "It's because my anger is born out of concern for _you_."

He had a reply ready. "If you care, then why is most of what I get from you insults?"

Mara was quiet for a moment. Then she decided that she had best get it out right then and there before her courage failed her. "Because I'm _afraid_, Skywalker. I'm not used to the idea of friends and affection. All I got from the Emperor was angry disapproval or satisfied approval. My only role was to do _his_ duty. After his death, I found myself in a different galaxy, a galaxy I'm still not used to. My anger is all I have...other than my concern for you. If you turn completely to the Dark Side, then the only thing left for me is death."

"I won't let you do that—"

"You can't stop me!" Mara growled. "The choice is yours. If you choose to waste your life, then you end mine."

"That's not fair, Mara."

"It's not fair that you would tear what little of my life that I have away just because of your stupid desire for power."

"Who said I wanted power?"

"That's what the Dark Side is about: power."

"How would you know what the Dark Side is about?" Luke asked the former Emperor's Hand, his fierce blue eyes flashing. "Have _you_ ever used it?"

"I lived around Dark Side users for most of my life. I saw what kind of people it made them. I do _not_ want that to happen to you."

"Change isn't always bad—"

"When change has to do with gaining the Dark Side and losing the Light, it is, Skywalker."

It was that moment that Vader chose to walk inside the cell, preventing Luke from replying but not stopping the almost pleading gaze that Mara gave the Jedi.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

"Are you prepared to accept your destiny?" Vader inquired.

"Surely you didn't think I would make it that easy?" the Jedi raised an eyebrow.

"You will have to face it someday. By delaying the inevitable, you make it more painful." The Sith Lord turned to Mara. "Come with me."

Mara gave a sideways look to Luke that clearly meant: _Remember what I said._

Giving Vader a gaze that was a mixture of bitterness and submission, she queried, "Why?"

Vader didn't answer; he merely yanked Mara toward him with the Force.

Luke shot to his feet and demanded, "Where are you taking her?"

"She will not be harmed," the armored giant replied ambiguously.

But Luke wasn't nearly as submissive as his companion, and he stepped close to his father threateningly, his eyes sparking. In a confident voice, he told the taller man, "I won't let y—"

—and found a humming, red lightsaber at his throat. "Don't make me show you what the consequence of defiance is, Son," Vader rumbled, inching the weapon towards Luke's neck.

Luke swallowed, glancing down at the saber, then up at his father, and then finally to Mara. His sapphire eyes pleaded for forgiveness, but her emerald eyes held merely a command for him to be careful.

And so it was with ambivalence that Luke watched Palpatine's former Hand be led out of the cell by his blood-kin.

His blood...

Brow furrowing minutely, Luke looked down at his mechanical hand. He flexed it and thought back to the second Death Star, where his father's hand had been sliced through the wrist, just like his own.

Like father like son...

His father had caused the loss of his hand, and then he had done the same to him at their next meeting.

And there he was again, in his father's clutches, but this time without a weapon...and with a father who seemed to have buried all possible remnants of his former self beneath layers of darkness.

What was to happen this time? Loss of another extremity? Perhaps loss of a life?

Or did Fate hold something different for him this time? Was he to finally give in to the thing that he had been fighting against for years?

He didn't know, but he _had_ to fight against the Dark Side for Mara...

_For Mara,_ he repeated to himself forcefully. _For Mara._

_But Mara's not with you,_ a little voice pointed out from the dark depths of his mind.

He nearly groaned in exasperation, telling the voice, _I'm sure it's only temporary..._

_Possibly,_ it conceded. _But what if Vader plans to kill her?_

Trying to brush away the ill feeling that image brought up in his mind, Luke mentally replied, _That would give me more incentive to go against my father._

The voice seemed to think about that for a moment. _But what would the use of fighting against your father be if you didn't have the love of your life with you?_

_I would do it _for _her._

_It would still be pointless,_ it insisted.

_Fighting for love is never pointless,_ Luke countered.

_Fighting for someone who's dead is,_ the evil voice returned.

Luke merely shook his head, trying to stop his increasing worry from wrecking havoc on his stomach, which felt like it had a dozen insects buzzing around in it frantically.

_You're weaker without her, you know,_ the voice finally came told him.

_I know._ Luke Skywalker could not deny it.

_If you gave into the Dark Side for just a minute, then you could easily get the guards to open your cell, slay your father, grab your love, and leave this place. Then things could go back to the way they were _before _the man you thought dead was suddenly resurrected._

_If I gave in to the Dark Side, my life would never be the same,_ the Jedi disagreed with his annoyed inner voice.

The voice insisted, _You wouldn't be using it for the rest of your life, merely a few moments. Things would go back to normal._

_No, they would not. As Yoda said, 'Once you start down the Dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.'_

_You touched the Dark Side briefly on the second Death Star,_ it pointed out slyly. _You're not very different right now than you were then...just wiser._

Luke shook his head minutely. _It has affected my life, though it has been a bit indirectly. If I touched it one more time, even briefly, it would gain total control of my life._

_And that's a bad thing?_

Luke started to give another mental reply, but the voice quickly amended, _It is just that you are making a much bigger deal out of this than you should. The so-called 'Dark Side' is merely an approach to using the Force. It isn't a living entity that decides it wants to rule this or that. It has no true sentience._

_Perhaps..._

The door hissed open before Luke had had any more time to argue with the annoying little voice, and Darth Vader strode forward.

The young Jedi thought he detected a hint of satisfaction radiating from his father, but as soon as he sensed the feeling it left, leaving him wondering whether it had just been a figment of his imagination.

Vader was silent for a few moments, while Luke looked on him expectedly.

"I apologize for the trouble I have caused you. I have lived in darkness for years, and the only times that I had second thoughts about my past choices have been in your presence. I expect you to distrust me, for distrust is something the Jedi often instill into their students...The Jedi were known for their paranoia."

Luke frowned and was about to speak, but his father continued. "The truth is, son, all these years that I have been in hiding built my anger up, layer upon layer. I hated Palpatine for what he had done to me, and I wanted nothing more than to lash out on the galaxy and make everyone else suffer as I did...And then you came back into my life, and everything changed. I had a short conversation with Jade, and she has agreed that the so-called 'New Republic' has been deteriorating, and it is time for the Empire to rise again...But I do not want this to be an Empire built upon hate as it was before—"

"You expect me to _believe_ you?" Luke snorted incredulously, laughing dryly.

Darth Vader wasn't as amused. Rather than responding with words, Vader opened his mind to his son, beckoning him to enter.

More than a little unsure, Luke did enter with the Force and felt what seemed to be a genuine desire to do good. But Luke only trusted his father as far as he could throw him—which was not very far at all. That wasn't likely to be changed so quickly.

"As a gesture of goodwill, I have a gift for you."

"Gift?" Luke raised an eyebrow. Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, did not seem to be the type to hand out presents. He got a sudden image of his father wearing a red hat with a white cotton ball at the end of it, possessing a jolly red bag of presents beside him and about to hand a wrapped lightsaber to some poor unsuspecting boy, asking him in a cold voice, 'Have you been a naughty boy?'

Shivering, he brushed the image away.

"Follow me," Vader instructed, leaving the cell.

Luke stared after him. He could pretend to follow him but then run to the docking bay...

He would be captured by a very ticked off Vader the moment he tried. Sighing, he went after his father, who was patiently waiting for him in the middle of a corridor. Luke was soon by his side, and off the pair went.

It wasn't long before Vader stopped in front of a door and entered it. Luke followed and refrained from whistling when he saw the room.

It was luxurious—he had to give it that. He hadn't known that a single room could _have_ such space on a Star Destroyer, but it did.

Furniture was artistically placed throughout the room along with several large and expensive-looking paintings and sculptures. It contained a kitchenette and a hall with four doors.

Seeing where Luke's gaze had wandered, Vader explained, "There is a bedroom, a guest bedroom, a 'fresher, and a simulation room where you can work on your piloting skills. There is also a computer in the sim room that you are allowed to use. Now, if you will excuse me, son, I have a meeting to attend."

The Sith Lord was swiftly out the door, and Luke sensed him lock it with the Force.

_A prisoner in a gilded cage, am I?_ Luke thought.

Vader heard his thought and replied through the Force, _Only until you give me a fair chance to prove myself. Then you will be free to come and go as you please...Or even just go._

Still not happy with the absence of Mara or with his enormous new 'cell,' as he thought of it bitterly, he plopped down onto the black couch, the material seeming to instantly relax his tense muscles.

Well, he didn't have to like it to enjoy it. Right?


	15. Chapter Fifteen

"How was your meeting?" Luke inquired bitterly from his sulking position on the couch.

Darth Vader had just walked in, accompanied by the monotonous sound of his respirator, that sound which followed him everywhere he went and shadowed his every appearance. For a moment, the Sith Lord was still, his sable helmet inclined toward his sour son.

"It was normal as far as meetings go. Son, if you would give me a chance, you might find that I am not as bad as you imagine me to be. Propaganda and rumors have prejudiced people against me. No one has even bothered to see what is true and what is not. I had hoped that I wouldn't have to put you into _that_ category."

The Jedi sighed. He knew that his father was attempting a not-so-subtle guilt trip but what annoyed him most was that it was working.

Scowling darkly, he punched the couch out of frustration. "I don't know _what_ category I fall into now...I used to know. Everything used to be black and white...But now it's a murky color that I'm not even sure can be called gray."

"Perhaps it is because you are finally allowing yourself to see the truth."

"Or maybe it's because you're trying to pull a blinder down over my head."

"I'm not the one doing the pulling," the father told the son.

That didn't sit very well. "You're saying that _I_ am trying to purposefully confuse myself?"

"No."

The word, soft though it was, resounded throughout the room. It made Luke feel even smaller than he already was feeling due to the tall sable monster standing before him. What was his father truly capable of? Had Luke even begun to see the extent of the older man's powers?

The Dark Lord continued, "What I am saying is that there is a part of you that wishes to go back to the security of knowing precisely what it was you wanted...But what you wanted was always for the sake of others, never for yourself. You wanted what you thought was best for everyone else, not caring if you destroyed yourself in the process, as long as your friends were alive. Your friends are not here to back up your beliefs, and so you are not quite sure what those beliefs are any longer. The Jedi claim that the Dark Side is full of 'bad' emotions and that love is of the Light...But if love is of the Light, then why is a Jedi not allowed to feel passion?" The Sith paused uncomfortably. Then he spoke reluctantly, "I thought that once your mother was dead, I would never feel love again."

He had brought up a subject that intrigued Luke, who had never learned much about his mother. After a moment, Luke asked, "What was she like?"

There was a weighty pause as Darth Vader considered memories he had thought were long gone. "Beautiful. She was of a beauty greater than that of the stars and planets combined...She was once known as Queen Amidala of the Naboo—"

"She was a queen?" Luke interrupted curiously.

"Yes, she was a queen," Vader confirmed. "When I first met her, I knew her as a simple handmaiden named Padmé. One of her other handmaidens pretended to be the actual queen, that she might be well-protected...When I first saw her on Tatooine, I knew that our destinies were intertwined—"

"Tatooine?" the planet name had also piqued Luke's curiosity.

"Yes. A planet that holds many bitter memories for me, but that one great memory almost outweighs them all." Vader's tone softened somewhat as painful thoughts resurfaced. "I was a slave on Tatooine, along with my mother. Your mother, Obi-Wan, and a few others helped save me from that wretched place...but they could not save my mother."

Luke felt he had to say something, but he could think of nothing that could lessen his father's pain. Instead of speaking, he sent a tentative Force tendril of reassurance, and as soon as he sent it, he was surprised that it had also contained a brief expression of love.

Did he love his father?

As he stared across at the man whom, admittedly, had been fitted with many unfair stereotypes, he contemplated the many terms he had heard to describe him, ones he himself had once thought.

Monster. Fiend. Beast.

Cruel. Evil. Unjust.

Inhumane. Terrible. Heartless.

Those were just a few of the less vulgar terms. Was his father truly heartless? He seemed to still love and respect Luke's mother, and if Luke weren't misinterpreting the emotions that he could just barely sense from Darth Vader, the man cared for his son, too.

Was the Dark Lord of the Sith merely misunderstood? Was there more to him than seemed to meet the eye?

But he was brought back to his original question. Did he love his father?

...Could he hate the man that had sired him and had refrained from him despite his threat to the Sith Lord's power?...A man that his kind mother had loved so long ago...

A man that _had_ to have some shred of decency left in him...

Luke gave him one last calculating look, during which Vader stood completely still.

He couldn't love him...but he couldn't hate him.

The fair-headed young man closed his eyes and brought his legs up to his chin. Weakly, knowing that he was breaking down inside even as he tried to build up his walls of resistance, he inquired, "What do you want from me?"

"I want to make up for the years that I have lost...The years in which Obi-Wan hid you from me."

Luke swallowed, his eyes staring at the floor. It kept coming back to Obi-Wan.

_Obi-Wan,_ he repeated in his mind. The man who had torn him from his mother and father, had made him grow up on a dustball in the middle of nowhere, had left him with a harsh moisture farmer and his kind but resigned wife, and had lied to him about his father.

Darth Vader had not killed Anakin Skywalker. They were one and the same—a person's personality did not change who they truly were. Anakin Skywalker was Luke's father..._Darth Vader_ was Luke's father...

_Luke_ was the Sith Lord's son, whether he liked it or not. The Sith Lord had never really lied to him; he had always been up front with him. It seemed that the Sith had morals the Jedi only pretended to have.

Yes. Darth Vader had been the one to reveal the true truth of his parentage. Anakin Skywalker was not a navigator on a spice freighter; he was a Force-user in control of an Empire.

_An Empire which you could easily be a part of._ The voice was back.

_I could,_ he returned.

_Think about it. You can right the galaxy's wrongs much easier with an empire than with a republic. You don't have to wait for approval on matters that need urgent attention...You _are _the approval._

_But the Dark Side—_

_Is not that much different from the Light. It's like using a different power source. Whether you use a private or public energy supply doesn't matter. There's no real difference in the end. Besides, you don't _have _to use the Dark Side just because you are an Imperial._

_What about Leia and the others?_ Luke inquired of the voice.

_They _know _that the New Republic is crumbling...They just don't want to see it. You could bring them here...They would eventually let themselves see the truth—they would finally realize the benefits an Empire in the right hands can bring._

Aloud, Luke spoke, his voice cracking, "I...can't."

Vader's deep voice somehow turned a bit warmer and more inviting, and it was with gentle softness that he spoke, "You can, Luke. The only one that can hold you back is yourself. You are the one that makes choices for yourself, son. _Not_ your friends..."

"But I owe—" Luke protested, but he was cut off.

Vader wasn't unfriendly, but he was stern. "You owe them nothing. Don't let them make your decisions," he told him forcefully. "You are a mature adult, and you should start behaving more like one."

"All I've known has been the Alliance and the New Republic—"

"Times change, son. Those were all you knew, but perhaps it is time to learn of more."

Luke's eyes hardened as what Vader said sunk in, the crystal blue becoming colder than the winters of Hoth. He slowly raised his head, and a smirk spread across his face. "I don't have to wear a mask, right?"


	16. Chapter Sixteen

As Luke matched his strides with those of his father's, he watched the passing faces of Imperial officers. People were regarding him and his father with awe.

Him, the Empire's most dangerous enemy in both its height of glory and its time of greatest despair, walking freely beside the Dark Lord...not as a prisoner, but as an equal.

An equal.

A farmboy from nowhere, a child with no past—a young man who rose into heroism in the midst of a war and who only became a Jedi Master because he had proclaimed himself as such—the equal of a Sith Lord? It was a dizzying thought.

He was an orphaned farmboy, nothing more—he was a simple comfort to the people of the New Republic...But he was nothing in the dark glory of his father.

Luke tried to hide his uneasiness as he gave his father a sideways glance. He hadn't agreed to anything tangible, he reminded himself. He had only agreed to give his father a chance, right? He had simply accepted that his friends weren't always right and that following them was not the best choice for him.

He wasn't an Imperial, nor was he a Dark Side user.

He was...somewhere in-between?

Luke's eyes widened as the thought occurred to him, and he quickly shoved it away. _No_, he was the Son of Skywalker, the Child of Light...His father was his mirror—together they created the perfect balance of Light and Dark.

Yes, he told himself quickly. They were opposites...

_Equal opposites?_ the strange thought suddenly struck him.

Luke's train of thought came to a halt as his father stopped in front of a door. Father and son entered after the former punched in the combination. Once inside, Luke allowed himself to survey his surroundings with curiosity. They were inside a mostly plain room that basically consisted of a computer, a table, a chair, a viewport, and a hall leading to...what? Vader's practice room? His...refresher? Bedroom?

...Did Vader even _need_ to sleep?

The Jedi suddenly realized that he didn't know that much about his father.

Vader walked slowly up to the viewport, and Luke trailed behind pensively. A sea of stars unfolded in front of them, the orbs twinkling brightly and cheerfully ignoring the problems of those in the turmoil-filled galaxy—ignoring the fact that Luke was the prisoner of his blood-thirsty father, the possibility that something terrible could have happened to Mara, and the increasing chance that the New Republic would be taken down by a reemerging Empire...

Luke scowled. He'd never liked stars that much anyway.

No, he backtracked in his mind. He _did_ like stars...He just didn't like their carefree personalities right now.

...Since when did stars have personalities?

_Skywalker, you're going insane,_ he reprimanded himself.

"When I was younger, I wished to be the first to visit all of the stars," Vader broke the silence.

"Did you?"

Vader slowly shook his head. "I did not."

"It's not too late."

"I have wandered this galaxy alone for quite some time. There is no point in pursuing such a dream when I no longer have someone to share it with," the Sith Lord spoke quietly, wistfulness evident in his voice.

Luke suppressed his immediate urge to tell his father that _he_, Luke, was there and that Vader could share his dreams with him.

Vader didn't have dreams—_couldn't_ have dreams...He was just a dark figure out for nothing but vengeance against mankind and alienkind alike...Right?

The Jedi glanced at his father quickly; then he stared at the ground as if he were trying to bore a hole into it. To anyone else, Vader would be just that, whether they had actually met the Sith Lord or not. Somehow, he felt he had to be the first person to step forward and give his father a second chance...

And yet, why should he be the one with that responsibility? The man had cut off his hand, for space's sake!

Sensing his inner turmoil, Vader spoke, "All I ask is a chance to prove myself."

Luke raised his chin up, staring at his father's dark helmet with intense blue eyes that pinned him to the spot. "Prove what?" The words were both clearly enunciated, bit out due to emotions that were close to overflowing, emotions born of frustration and anger.

"That I am not what people perceive me to be...That I _can_ be a worthy father...That I _am_ able to make up for the years in which Obi-Wan hid you from me on that accursed planet. You may not believe me, Son, but I have every intention of providing you with as many elements of the childhood you never had as is within my ability."

"I am no longer a child!" Luke growled.

"No," Darth Vader agreed softly. "You are not."

After a moment's pause in which Luke glared at the floor, Vader spoke again, studying his son. "You are neither a child, nor an adolescent,...nor an adult."

Vader waited a few seconds before speaking again. "You are but a blend of experiences which never filled the void inside of you—you never had a childhood with caring parents, nor did you have an adolescence full of those experiences that teenagers enjoy...Without those first two stages of life, you cannot truly be an adult. Perhaps you have the wisdom of one as well as the battle scars, but you do not have the first few experiences to shape you."

A muscle twitched in the young man's cheek, and his fists clenched. Vader had released the floodgate, and painful memories were surging back. Voice trembling, Luke spoke, "Uncle Owen...never wanted me to have anything. He was gruff, bitter, and always disappointed in me, always challenging me. Every time I was going to leave to do something with my friends, I went to my aunt for permission, and somehow Uncle Owen was always beside her, daring me to speak the words...Usually, she managed to calm him, but there were a few times..." the Jedi shuddered.

Luke took in a ragged breath. "He never laid an aggressive hand on me, but I knew he wanted to. I could see it in his eyes...He tried to hide it from Beru, and she was so kind-hearted that she never suspected...But whenever we were alone, his piercing eyes would settle on me, and I felt as if perhaps—perhaps he hated me. Hated the trouble I always brought for him. I didn't know about the Force, but there were times when I did or knew things that I shouldn't, and it always made him so mad... When he was killed, I felt a sort of load lift off of my shoulders, and relief flooded my senses...But it was soon gone, replaced by horror and sorrow...I loved Aunt Beru—and I never wanted _him_ to die, no matter how much he despised me...I felt like it was my fault that he was dead, and I realized that it wasn't really _me_ that he had hated, but what I stood for: the past. He never approved of my recklessness and obsession with piloting, and whenever I mentioned joining the Imperial Academy, he always got grumpy. He must have been very bitter that he and Aunt Beru couldn't have children, and I was a symbol of what he could never have..."

"Curse Obi-Wan!" Vader rasped, clenching his fists. "Curse him for taking you and my wife from me and for leaving you with _Owen_!"

Vader's rage sparked anger in Luke, "Where would you rather he had taken me? To _you_, where you could manipulate me and turn me into a creature even more dark and monstrous than _yourself_?"

"You do not know of what you speak," Vader hissed warningly.

"Oh, really? What else is there to know? You've killed space knows how many people with little more than your lightsaber and the Force. You are part of what you hope is a 'rising' government, which is, in fact, full of nothing but prejudices and the desire to kill innocents—"

There was an edge in the Dark Side user's voice. "Perhaps you have been blind to the weaknesses and prejudices in your _own_ precious government? Must I point out again that you have killed a great number of innocents in your own lifetime as well? With _life_ comes _death_. I do not enjoy killing, and I avoid it when I can. A cycle of life and death exists; the weak are overtaken by the strong.

"I once held onto foolish ideals such as yours. But fighting against my selfish mentor before being left to burn to death opened my eyes for the very first time. Once I restore the Empire, I wish to bring _back_ ideals that encompassed _both_ the Empire and the Old Republic. Both had their errors, and both had their strengths. I intend to take the best of both and incorporate it into one government. I shall banish alien prejudices and forbid slavery, and I have various other plans in the making."

"The New Republic already covers that and more. Why destroy _it_?"

A black mask moved minutely to face the Jedi. "There are faults in your so-called 'New Republic' that you don't allow yourself to see...Constant bickering is one of the major ones. It was a fault of the Old Republic."

"As if your 'Grand Moffs' don't argue enough," Luke sneered.

"Most of their quarrels have never affected how the Empire was run."

"Most," the younger man repeated quietly.

"Most," Vader agreed. He suddenly felt as if time were running out. "Yoda used to say that once someone started down the 'dark path' it would forever dominate their destiny, but both of us know that it is not true. You touched the Dark Side on the second Death Star, but you maintained your connection with the Light Side. If you allow yourself experience the Dark Side fully one more time, I shall no longer bother you about it, and if you wish to return to that which you like to think of as your own, then I shall not stop you."

Luke stared at his father. Although it went against the beliefs embedded deep within him, he was considering his father's offer. He could sense that the man was telling the truth in that Luke would no longer be pestered constantly to 'join' the Dark Side. He could touch the Dark Side, show his father that he was happy where he was—in the Light—and be done with the matter. All he had to do was hold his Light deep inside, and he wouldn't be forever corrupted by Darkness. Then he could finally return to his friends.

"I will not turn, but I will touch the Dark Side fully. Then I will leave."

* * *

An hour later Luke was slashing furiously at his father, the green light from his saber flashing in his vivid blue eyes.

Letting loose his Dark feelings had been easier than he had expected, leaving shreds of uneasiness that flitted throughout his head like insects upset by a passing beast.

His senses had intensified tenfold when he had merely touched upon a smidgen of his anger towards his uncle, and, after he had grabbed at the Darkness when his initial shock was over, he had felt like a new, almost superhuman being.

Every movement was effortless, every blow easily parried, every strike skillfully given. Time seemed to slow as he foresaw every move his father was going to give and took proper measures.

Perhaps what was the most shocking was that it hadn't felt as evil to utilize the Dark Side as it had before. It flowed naturally into his body, like a more efficient and greater power source. As he continued to duel his father, he could tell that the older man was slipping beneath his onslaught.

It amazed Luke how different the feeling was from that panicked moment on the second Death Star. He was using the Dark Side not out of desperation but out of choice...

And it felt good.

Stars, it felt good.

Luke trembled at the knowledge of the power he wielded at his fingertips. He could slash his way out of imprisonment and right the galaxy's wrongs so easily that he would wonder why he hadn't done so long ago...

He could also kill his father.

Yes, Luke mused, as he observed the black giant through his own almost-bored offenses and defenses, the man would be easily exterminated, just another of the galaxy's problems thrown out the chute with the rest of the garbage...

Or, the younger man backtracked slightly, he could keep Darth Vader as an ally, and get rid of him once all that he wished to accomplish _had_ been.

How could he have ever seen the Dark Side as the path to evil? It, like the Light Side, was but a tool to achieve an end, which was justified by the means.

* * *

On a murky planet, a wizened alien opened his eyes. Had they already lost?


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Pensively, Luke stared quietly out the viewport, his blue eyes as fuzzy as one's view after awakening from a deep sleep. Everything was different now..._He_ was different now.

On the one hand, it was a beneficial change. On the other...

The young man flexed his artificial limb, reminding himself exactly who had severed the flesh and bone from his body. Now, his hand was never to be rejoined to its rightful place...As he was never to rejoin with the Republic.

Yes, he mused, his father should be known as Darth _Severer_ rather than Darth _Vader_. It seemed that the man had spent his entire life severing people's ties on that which they held dear.

Frowning as a thought struck him with the force of a charging bantha, Luke cast his eyes down on the cold, metallic floor. He was no longer the simple farmboy known as Luke Skywalker. He was more mature, wiser, merely a shade of his former self.

He needed a new name..._Deserved_ a new name.

Yes. He would take on a new name as his father had, for he was going to learn as much as he could from Darth Vader about the ways of the Sith.

And from then on he would be known as...His eyes slitted, glinting, as a malicious smile tugged the corners of his mouth slowly up.

Darth Evenger.

He would get even with all and avenge all the wrongs done to him. No matter what the consequences may be.

* * *

"The ways of the Sith are not to be taken lightly, Son," Darth Vader advised the young man next to him.

"No, father."

"It is a lifelong commitment, not to be reneged on," the Sith Lord tilted his helmet. "Ever."

"I know, father." Luke was impatient, ready to learn everything quickly. He frowned as he thought he saw a streak of color flash by him, but when he lifted his head and brought his eyes to what he thought was the origin of the motion, he saw nothing.

"The first thing you are to know is that there are always, and can only be, two Sith—the master and the apprentice."

Luke nodded eagerly; then he frowned as Darth Vader began walking over to the exit. "Where are you going?"

"That was your first lesson. Remember it well." Darth Vader disappeared.

Wondering if his father had begun to sense his feelings of rebellion, Luke Skywalker plopped down in a chair, sitting in deep contemplation.

"What are you up to, farmboy?" a low voice asked from behind the pondering Skywalker, who jumped a few inches out of his chair.

"How did you get in here?"

"I have my ways," she answered ambiguously. Mara Jade gave him a hard stare with her emerald eyes. "You shouldn't plot against your father, you know."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "So you're on his side now?"

"Lord Vader is my master."

He gave the former Emperor's Hand a long, calculating glance, sensing nothing that showed that she was his ally in any way.

As a sort of test, he reached out his hand and delicately moved a finger across the bare shoulder that was exposed by a green tank top, only to have it coldly removed by Mara, whose eyes flashed warningly.

"I guess I have truly started a new life, where allies become enemies and enemies become allies," Luke whispered, his chilling blue eyes looking at his female companion with mock-wistfulness.

"You made your decision, Skywalker. Now live with it."

She disappeared into the shadows, a dark wraith dissipating into nothingness. He stared after her long after she had gone, frozen in place. It was quite some time before he finally thawed.

* * *

Training to be a Sith was not how Luke would have expected it to be. Sometimes, he would be given exercises that pushed him past his limits, while at other times, he would receive mysterious lessons that left him scratching his head quite a while after his father had given them.

But the monotony or habitualness of life can only remain interrupted for so long. One day, just like on any other day, ships docked on and left the Star Destroyer, no single ship of any seeming importance. But on that day, one vessel brought with it a passenger which would disturb the routine of the massive ship forever.

* * *

Its occupant was received calmly, not a soul distressed or concerned about its arrival—that is, until Darth Vader sensed the person's presence.

He and his son were quietly meditating side by side, both attuned with the Force, neither expecting anything of any import to shatter their day.

But then the Sith Lord noticed _her,_ and his whole world was shattered. His meditation was completely ruined, all peaceful thoughts had flown out the hatch, and anxiety and fear had set in.

It wasn't long before Luke noticed that something was wrong with his father. When he did, he was puzzled. "What is it?"

Darth Vader ignored him, paralyzed in place, waiting for her to come. Inwardly shrugging, the younger man did the same, not knowing what was to happen.

She came soon, as the Sith Lord knew she would. She was still very beautiful, if perhaps a bit worn by the years. A tinge of bitterness and sorrow showed about her eyes, and her mouth was a little bit tighter than it had once been. But still her spirit shined through her mortal body, not completely broken, wanting so desperately to forget the years of pain and sadness.

"Padmé," Vader somehow breathed, the heart-felt word sounding strangely out of place with the harsh noise of his respirator.

"Ani," she returned quietly. But she wasn't looking at him. She was looking at their son.

Their son. No longer a whimpering baby to be cooed at, Luke Skywalker, whom she had not seen in what felt like an eternity, had grown into a man. He had changed much inwardly and outwardly since she had held him in her arms that last time, dreading giving him away but knowing that she must.

It was always for the greater good that she did things, never for herself. She had wanted to stay back on Dagobah, far away from and protected from the man she had once called husband. But she had known that to do so would have been to bring the entire galaxy in on itself and let chaos reign over all. And so she'd come.

Luke Skywalker stared at her, not comprehending who she was or what she was doing in their meditation room, but almost knowing...Almost able to figure it out...

"Luke..." Padmé whispered the name as she moved closer to him, still taking his differences in. He looked so cruel and unkind, not at all like the naïve, caring farmboy that Obi-Wan had told her about. Yet she felt he still had a glint of his old self hidden somewhere in the depths of his heart...As she felt Anakin Skywalker still possessed, no matter what Master Yoda said.

"Why are you here?" Vader finally bit out when his senses kicked in. She was part of his old life, part of the life of that weaker man that he no longer had any connections to. He felt nothing for her...

Felt nothing.

"I think you know."

"What's going on?" Luke interjected.

"You should not be here," the Sith Lord insisted.

"Who are you?" the young Skywalker inquired doggedly.

"I do not wish to be here, but I must be here," Padmé softly sighed.

Luke was getting angry. "Who _is_ she?"

"Luke," Vader said heavily, finally giving in, "this is your mother."


	18. Chapter Eighteen

"Something's going to go wrong," a male said matter-of-factly to his female companion.

"We're dealing with Imperials, of _course_ something will go wrong."

"Gotta love your optimism," the man spoke dryly.

"You're not exactly Mr. Positive, yourself."

A different voice entered the conversation, "Pardon me, but—"

"_Don't_ say a word," the first male voice warned.

"The ship—"

"_Don't_."

"But—"

"_Uh uh_."

"We are—"

"_No_."

The woman sighed. "Give him a break."

There was a whistle, followed by a flurry of beeps.

"Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?" the first man inquired.

No answer.

He chuckled.

* * *

"My _mother_?" Luke's voice was full of incredulity, and an emotion akin to horror was showing through his eyes. It was with distrust and almost accusation that he looked at the newcomer. "I thought she was dead."

"As did I..." Vader trailed off, his helmet fixed on the woman from his past...A past he had thought had been swallowed up by a dark void, never to be regained.

But here she was, digging up the memories that he had thought buried forever.

Padmé ignored the darkly clad Sith Lord, her eyes again seeing nothing but her son. Softly, she spoke, "My little boy...Luke...You've grown so much..."

Luke's lip trembled; his mind was in turmoil.

It was his _mother_, a woman he was supposed to cherish.

But she was a woman he had scarcely known...

A woman who had given him away so that he might be protected...No, Luke corrected himself as his darker emotions flared, she was a woman he had been _abandoned_ by...

Yet she had wanted him to live and escape the hurt she had faced...

But she was a woman who had stayed utterly forsaken her _children_.

Finally, he steeled himself, clearing all false hopes and questions from his mind. He spoke with a bite, reiterating words his father had once said. "That _name_ no longer has any meaning for me..." Luke raised his head, his blue orbs icing over. "You will call me Darth Evenger. I am no longer the man I once was."

The petite woman's eyes went ablaze, the target of her anger practically oblivious of being so. Her husband...

Her _husband_ had utterly twisted their son, caring not for the kindred soul that the boy naturally harbored.

...She certainly could not put any blame on her son. His luck with relatives had been less than perfect, as Obi-Wan had informed her; he had been forced to come to the realization that his father was one of the most evil men in the galaxy; he had found out that he had a crush on his sister who later married his "rival" and had three children; he had found that the said marriage worked as an obstacle that prevented him from spending much time with his sister; and he had not even known his mother was alive until more than two decades of his life had passed. Darth Vader had unfairly taken advantage of him in spite of the poor footing their son held.

"Luke," Padmé said firmly, "you are not like him. You do not have to follow his path of destruction and animosity. Escape _now_ while you still can. Hatred brings you nothing."

"Hatred brings me power," the young man replied maliciously. "The Light Side brings weakness."

"With the Light comes hope," his mother insisted.

"False hope. You hope for love, you hope for approval, you hope for someone to actually _care_ what happens to you—even for just a moment—rather than themselves. But what does it get you?" The young man gave an evil and uncharacteristic laugh. "_Nothing_. Love is but a term to comfort the living. The greater feats you perform, the more that is expected from you. Approval is never truly received. Caring brings _you_ nothing, brings _them_ nothing. The Light Side is for the weak and idealistic." Darth Evenger glared at Padmé through Luke's eyes.

Vader remained silent, but Padmé finally turned to him in desperation. "Even _you_ know the price of Darkness. If you could go back in time and choose, would you not make a different decision?" She held a hand up before he could answer. "We both know you would, no matter what you wish to think. Power is an _empty_ thing. Hatred means losing control of your mind, which is the strongest weapon anyone has. When our minds are blinded by such emotions as hate and fear, we lose the ability to think straight. Love will always overtake Hate, for Hate has no real reason to live. We live because the Light still remains within us. You cannot tell me that you regret having once loved me. You cannot." Padmé's eyes began to blur as she stared defiantly up at the man she had once called her husband.

A blank helmeted gaze was fixed upon her, and the Sith Lord could not find words to speak.

* * *

"I can't believe it's been this easy," whispered the voice of a male officer.

"Yeah, well, don't plan on it lasting for very long," his pessimistic female companion, clad in Stormtrooper armor, replied.

The anthropoid droid behind them started to say something, but the male officer cut him off. "Don't."

A humored blat came from the little droid at their feet.

"I hope they find you and—" the first droid was cut off by the female Stormtrooper this time.

"Shh."

After a while, the officer stopped in front of a door. "This is it. Your turn, little buddy."

The smaller droid went forward. After a few attempts, it whistled dejectedly.

"That's all right. It was worth a try. Guess we'll have to do this the hard way. Everyone back."

He didn't have to speak twice.

* * *

Darth Vader had almost mustered a reply when his thoughts were abruptly halted by an explosion.

Leia prepared to smugly step forward with Han, her Stormtrooper helmet in hand, but she and Han were stilled in their tracks, Leia's helmet thudding to the floor. Out of the smoke of the chaos strode the imposing figure of a Sith Lord long thought dead...

Vader was alive.

Leia cursed, bringing her blaster up and not even bothering to aim. Before she could shoot, the blaster flew out of her hands and landed in that of another's.

But it wasn't Vader's.

It was her brother's.

"Luke!" she shouted gleefully, but a warning look from Han caused her to survey her brother again.

Physically, he didn't appear to have changed much, but her initial glance proved false. There was a different aura about him, one she had never sensed around him before. He seemed almost...evil.

But he was _Luke Skywalker_, hero of the galaxy. Surely, it was a trick of the clearing smoke and the dim light...Surely...

"Kid," Han began, but he was cut off by his cold brother-in-law.

"You should not have come here." Blue eyes glinted dangerously.

It was then that Artoo whistled and Threepio translated, "Why are you here?" The protocol droid cocked his head in confusion. "Why is who here?"

The droid beeped in frustration.

"The woman standing over there? Over where?" Threepio scanned the room. "Oh!"

All eyes were then on Padmé, who had appeared beside the silent Darth Vader. She might as well let it all out now. "Leia...I'm your mother."

"What?" Leia said quietly, but it was almost an involuntary action. Somehow, she had known the moment she laid eyes on the woman, as she had known about her brother...

Her brother...

Han looked up at the ceiling then made a sweeping, frustrated gaze around, his hands flailing in frustration. "Great. Just great. We're just in time for the family reunion. There's barbecued Jedi, fillet of Senator, and maternal crucifixion. Anyone hungry? How about you, kid?"

A cold hand settled around the smuggler's neck. He tried to inconspicuously glance at the Sith Lord, but a look at his brother-in-law revealed an outstretched, clenched fist.

"Don't call me kid," the dark young man gritted. "You will address me as Darth Evenger."

"Oh, so now you've gone and made a new name for yourself? Decided to follow in the footsteps of Darth Daddy—" Han gasped as the grip tightened, and he began clawing at his throat.

"Luke, leave him alone!" Leia demanded.

"I told you, I am no longer the ignorant man I was!" Darth Evenger hissed, shooting a warning Force lightning bolt up into the air, the blue light it emitted eerily filling the dark room then going out just as suddenly.

* * *

Padmé turned to Vader quietly as Darth Evenger began to Force choke Han, knowing she could do nothing...but she thought she sensed something from the Sith Lord. "Is this what you wanted our son to become? Have you no heart?"

"Obi-Wan burned what little of a heart I might have had out of me long ago," the Sith Lord finally managed.

"You know that is not true. You need to stop holding this grudge. What happened to the man I used to know?"

"He is dead!" Vader growled.

"If he were dead, then he would have long ago killed Luke, a man who threatens Darth Vader's position. You may be the Chosen One, but your son has inherited your powers and finds himself still in his youth. Shall the final years of your life be used in training a man to so hate the universe that he destroys it and you in the process? Will you give your only son to the universe, that he might wipe out all sentient lifeforms?"

"I never said I wished to destroy life."

"But all you bring now is death," Padmé sighed.

"I rid the galaxy of incompetents, thus helping progress."

"Everyone is incompetent at one point. That is why we must all be taught how to be great. The Jedi were wise teachers who wished to impart their knowledge on others so that they do not hinder the flow of life. Do not teach our son how to destroy life; instead, teach him how to help...The Dark Side will not enable you to do so."

"It is too late for me, Padmé."

But the former queen heard the catch in his voice along with the utterance of her old nickname. "It is never too late...I still love you, even after all that you have done. Have you become so twisted that you no longer harbor _any_ love for me?"

There was a long pause before a quiet voice was issued almost unwillingly from Vader. "I could never forget my love for you."

"I did not ask if you _forgot_."

There was a bit of a pause, but the Sith Lord was unable to restrain himself. "The love I felt for you was once greater than that of all the water on Naboo. No matter how hard one tries to scoop water out of an ocean with a bucket, the rain will always come and refill most of what was done. No matter how close to empty the one-time ocean may one day be, the rains will always come and ensure that there is always some water. Always."

"Oh, Ani..." Padmé snaked her hand almost reluctantly towards Vader's artificial one, enfolding the gloved hand in her own.

After squeezing the suddenly frail-looking woman's hand, Vader brought his hand back to his side, speaking loudly to his son, "Leave Solo alone."

The sickly-looking smuggler fell to the floor as he was released. The angry Alderaanian ran to his side, a stunned Artoo close behind her. The little droid could not understand the change that had been wrought in his master.

Evenger discerned something out of character in the Sith Lord's voice. "Have you allowed _her_ to sway you? I thought you were less foolish than that, father."

"I admit I _was_ the foolish one, but now a mask has been lifted from my eyes. I have been misleading you—"

"Ha!" Evenger scoffed, his sapphire eyes burning. "You have been the one person to actually lead me down a path worth taking, a path in which all who journey on it shall benefit from. I have finally found my purpose, and I will not let anyone take that from me. Not even you, who introduced me to it."


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Vader stared at his son.

It appeared that he had finally accomplished what he had spent space knew how long trying to do...

And now he wanted to undo it.

He had somehow managed to cling to the darkness after Palpatine's death, but now...

Now—he realized he was free.

No longer did that large and suffocating shadow hang over him. He could finally breathe...But it had taken the reappearance of his Padmé to remind him of that.

His Padmé...

The woman who had borne him his son...and his daughter.

His son, whose blue eyes were filled with a great hatred that Vader had instilled, and his daughter, whose brown eyes were looking upon her sibling with a great horror because of what Vader had done.

Love for his family finally spread freely throughout his body, but he suddenly realized that a hint of the darkness Palpatine had introduced him so many years ago still stubbornly clung to his soul.

His emotions began to struggle, but the Light Side was beginning to win. To be free...

To have freedom...

But to get that freedom he knew he would have to help his son receive it as well. They could work through this together...His son was strong.

And he had one last card to play.

* * *

Darth Evenger felt the Force flare out briefly from his father, and his harsh blue eyes stared accusingly. "What are you doing?" he hissed.

Vader answered, "Undoing something I never should have done."

His eyes clouded, Luke noted that a secret compartment had just opened in his father's confusion-filled meditation room.

And out stepped Mara...

With a face that could've curdled Bantha milk.

"Vader, what in _space_ did you think you were doing?" she hissed, glaring laser bolts.

A slight sense of bewilderment showing through his cloudy sapphire eyes, Evenger spoke, "What are you talking about?"

"Shut up, Skywalker."

"Do _not_ call me that—" the young man gritted.

"What you do not know," the man in dark armor proceeded to explain, "is that Palpatine did more to your mind than you ever knew, Jade. He placed a sort of emergency Force button in your mind that would automatically turn you to our side should you choose to wander from your chosen course. It is almost like the slave device of a ship, instantly placing you in servant mode. I just removed it from your mind, Jade...She never abandoned you, Luke."

"I am no longer to be called by that name!" Evenger spat.

Watching Solo rub his neck, Padmé spoke up, "It is the name that belongs to you. You cannot forsake it."

"I already have."

"So, that's it?" Han was beginning to get worked up. "You managed to reject Palpatine's and Vader's offer before, but now you've given in? Kid, what could Vader have done without the Emperor that would have ensnared you more effectively?"

Blue eyes hesitated, glancing briefly to meet green ones.

Softly, Leia said, "All of your friends are here. There is nothing for you on the other side. What is it you want?"

He swallowed just perceptibly, taking in all of his tired-looking friends. Artoo whistled mournfully and was comforted by Threepio.

"The Empire is in shambles, farmboy," Mara whispered. "Even I know that."

"But it can be resurrected—" Evenger protested.

"No, Son. A new era has begun. I am only sorry it took me so long to discover that," Anakin spoke sorrowfully.

The redhead walked over to the torn blonde. Staring him straight in the eyes, she told him earnestly, "Let's go back home."

For a long moment, the young man steadily met Mara Jade's gaze.

And then he ran.

Every fiber in his soul was straining as he pushed his muscles to their full potential and fled. The ragged hole in the wall took him away from his family, away from Mara, away from the Light, away from the Dark...and away from his life.

Thoughts of the Force and of the Empire and the Republic had left his mind. He had only one focus.

To get away.

He didn't hear the desperate pleas of his companions as they attempted to follow him, and he barely saw the metallic walls of the halls he passed through.

He didn't know who he was anymore, and, at the moment, he didn't care. Somehow, his feet brought him to the hangar bay, and, after a quick scan of the ships, he chose a nearby H'tis fighter. He sent the clearance code soon after he prepared the fighter for take-off. As the ship rose up and shot out of the bay, he didn't notice that another fighter was following him.

* * *

He needed to get far enough away from the Super-Class Star Destroyer so he could go into hyperspace. He was so focused on doing so that his danger sense didn't warn him of the fighter on his tail until his ship had shivered and groaned and a brilliant laser flash had spread throughout his vision. Muttering unintelligibly, the young man swerved, the other fighter fluidly matching his moves.

He twisted the stick to and fro, but the other ship was persistent, and, as he had a flashback to Myrkr, he realized who his assailant was.

_Space take it all!_ he growled inwardly, pulling a 360 degree turn. But Mara was right behind him, her laser cannons frantically spitting bolts as she aimed for a disabling blow.

He would _not_ allow himself to be stranded out in space again and 'rescued' by _her_.

Dark feelings were unleashed deep within him, and he soon became the predator, firing away at Jade's fighter. But she was skilled, evading his blows and matching him maneuver for maneuver.

_Luke_, he heard a deep voice call in his head. In that moment of hesitation, Mara got him.

His head was jerked around as his fighter convulsed, and the ship's alarms flashed blindingly in his eyes and rang deafeningly in his ears, shouting without words: _Your engines are gone!_

The young man's world blurred, but familiar faces appeared in his mind. He tried to reach out for them, but they dispersed, and he was left only with darkness.

_You are Darth Evenger,_ a voice hissed in his ear.

_No. You never were. Come back, Luke, _a different voice entreated him.

"I...I can't. It's too late," he whispered.

_It's never too late,_ the second voice tried to assure him.

The other voice snarled, _You are a child of the Darkness, Evenger. It is your destiny._

_You are a child of the Light, _the second voice countered. _Love made you, and love will save you. You can control your own destiny. The Darkness holds nothing for you, Luke._

"But...how do I return?" Luke rasped, throat dry.

_Reach out, Luke. Reach out for the Light. The Light will spread throughout the Darkness and purify you. Do not let the Darkness consume you anymore._

But darkness did consume him as he disappeared from the world of consciousness.

* * *

A new voice called to him distantly. _Luke...Luke!_

Why would anyone want to talk to him? Besides, he was fine as he was. He felt no pain.

_Luke! _the voice became more urgent.

What?

_Kid, come back._

Why? He liked it here.

_Please, Luke._

Please...That was a kind word. Kind...What was kind again?

_Luke, come on, _please_._

He liked kind, didn't he?

_Farmboy..._

Farmboy. That sounded familiar. Was he a...farmboy?

_You can't ignore us forever._

Sure he could. Couldn't he?...Should he?

_Farmboy, we..._The voice got quieter. _We love you._

Love...That was a word which...He knew what love was, it was...it was kind...

_Luke._

But there was pain in that world. If he went there, there would be pain...

But there would also be love.

Love...

He _wanted_ love...

One of the voices got clearer, "I think he might be coming back to us."

Colors began to swirl in front of him as if someone were twisting a paintbrush around in a bucket of rainbow paint. His head throbbed, and he almost went back to that other place, the place _without_ pain.

"Don't leave, farmboy," the voice pleaded.

The voice sounded...sad...He didn't want the voice to be sad...

He continued trying to escape from the darkness, and he soon found a salty taste in his mouth. The throbbing began again, but he gritted his teeth, and his eyes began to focus.

Caring faces slowly began to surround him, and, after a brown-headed petite form flung itself at him for an embrace, he groaned.

"Sorry, Luke," Leia whispered, hugging him tightly with closed eyes and then straightening up and backing a few steps away from her brother. She looked at Mara.

The redheaded woman knelt on the floor beside Luke, who was lying down on a cot. They were in the medbay of the Super-Class Star Destroyer. Mara tentatively took Luke's hand after he sat up, and she gazed into his pained blue eyes. "Farmboy...Don't you ever do that again."

The smile Luke cracked was small, but it was enough to get her to continue. "Blast, Skywalker, I was afraid we were going to lose you."

Luke looked down, disheartened, and spoke in a small voice, "I had lost myself."

"Skywalker..." When Luke didn't move, Mara finally ventured, "Luke..."

He finally lifted his quivering chin.

And it was then that Luke melted.

His eyes jammed shut and his chin was pulled down to his chest as if a magnet were forcing it, and he suddenly wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball on the cot and cry the day away.

After a moment of reluctance, Mara moved from her position on the floor to a seated spot on the edge of the cot, pulling Luke into her arms and rubbing his back comfortingly.

Sensing their need for privacy, all suddenly found other places to look. Padmé smiled understandingly at Anakin, Han grinned knowingly at Leia, and Artoo whistled cheerfully at Threepio.

Green eyes closed, Mara Jade finally let herself have a much-needed sigh of relief. Everything was going to be fine.

* * *

"I bet ten credits he'll ask her tonight."

"Tonight?" the other man asked questioningly. "Do you not think that is too soon?"

Han gave his famous scoundrel grin to his father-in-law, "You don't know Luke the way I do."

Anakin raised a just barely noticeable eyebrow, looking down at an old Jedi Master. "What do you think?"

"Difficult to see, the future is," Yoda said seriously. Then a slow grin spread across the green alien's face. "Know not do I if wait that long he can."

Obi-Wan chuckled, "You're right about that."

Anakin Skywalker smiled warmly, resisting the urge to reach up and run a hand across the newly growing fuzz on top of his head. Obi-Wan and Yoda had helped him heal nicely. A few more weeks, and he would be like his old self.

Well, at least, he'd be old...

Shaking his head slightly to himself, he reflected, _Well, I've had my youth. Now I need to let my son have his._

* * *

___  
_It was a motley group that was sitting in anticipation at the Solo dinner table. Chewbacca was sitting at Han's side, Leia was sporting a secretive smile at her husband's other side, Threepio was denying to Artoo that anything of any importance was going to happen that night (after all, he was "made to understand human behavior"), three old Jedi Masters were exchanging knowing looks, and three young children were bouncing off the walls. The centers of all this madness were oblivious.

"Aunt Mara?" Jacen called the Master Trader's attention. "When are you and Uncle Luke gonna—ow!" he squealed as Jaina elbowed him.

"Be nice to your brother, Jaina, and eat your supper," Leia admonished with a twinkle in her eye.

Sticking her tongue out, the little girl began following Leia's instructions.

Chuckling, Yoda took a spoonful of his specially made 'soup à la swamp,' making a contented noise as he did so.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and then surveyed the different-colored orbs dancing in the faces around him. Han just might be right.

* * *

After dinner, they had gone to the living room and sent the kids off to bed. The tension in the air was suddenly thick, and Mara and Luke seemed to be the only ones who didn't feel it. Mara was laughing at some joke Luke had told when suddenly the whole room went still.

Luke was on the floor, on his knees...

Crawling around.

"Found it!" he exclaimed triumphantly, holding up the hairpin Mara had lost and forcing himself to his feet. The other room inhabitants let out the air they had been holding, making faces at each other.

Leaning down, Anakin whispered to Han, who was diagonal from him, "I may yet collect that bet."

"Just wait," Han murmured.

* * *

Luke grinned over at Mara, speaking through the Force. _Think we should tell them now?_

_I dunno,_ she returned. _I like watching them squirm._

Shaking his head, he finally stood up, his eyes sparkling mischievously. "Mara and I are going to—"

Breaths caught in their throats, the onlookers...looked on.

"—complete her training," Luke finished, getting sour glances from more yet again disappointed relatives and friends. "But that will be...after our wedding."

Han's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Smirking, Anakin Skywalker held out his hand, "I believe that is ten credits you owe me, Solo."

"But—" he groaned, "that's not fair!"

"Even a Corellian can't determine the odds when it comes to Jedi," Leia said with a grin.

Chewbacca gave a deep Wookiee laugh.

Crossing his arms, Han slouched back against the couch, his mood not improved by Yoda's words of wisdom: "To a Corellian, the odds tell you should not, but never presume to think that knowledge of Jedi you have got."


End file.
